Police: Suspect set series of car fires in Freeport
Nassau County police accuse Elder Lopez Avalos of igniting cars using a crude method.
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Scorched pavement and broken glass mark the aftermath of a car fire in a Freeport parking lot, one of seven fires police say a 27-year-old man set over the past year.
Nassau County police accuse Elder Lopez Avalos of igniting cars using a crude method.
“He would take a T-shirt that he walked around with, rip it into pieces, stick it in there like a fuse into your gas cap and light it on fire,” Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder said.
Court documents show Avalos set five cars on fire in Parking Field 1 off West Merrick Road between May 2 and May 10, including four in a single night.
Investigators staked out the area and say they caught Avalos in the act. He is charged with seven counts of arson.
“We’re in the process of investigating over 20 car fires and a couple of dumpster fires as well,” Nassau Chief Fire Marshal Michael Uttaro said. “We haven’t connected this suspect with all of them yet, but it’s an active investigation.”
In June of last year, he allegedly set a car on fire on South Brookside Avenue in Freeport. About a week later, investigators say another vehicle was ignited near the Woodward Children’s Center on West Merrick Road.
Authorities arrested Avalos on Sunday. Because no one was injured, a judge released him from jail on Monday.
Police say Avalos is in the country illegally. Authorities picked him up on an ICE retainer on Tuesday, and he is now in federal custody.
