Police are searching for the person responsible for a multi-vehicle fire that spanned nearly an entire block in the Bronx early Tuesday morning.

“We just rushed outside to see if all the neighbors were OK. If our building was getting burned,” said Amadu Bah. “From there, we saw six cars were on fire.”

Those vehicles included Bah’s 2010 Toyota Highlander.

“So far, they suspect somebody put gasoline on the cars and lit the fire. That’s what they said,” Bah said, referring to what police told him.


What You Need To Know

  • Police are searching for the person responsible for a multi-vehicle fire that spanned nearly an entire block in the Bronx early Tuesday morning

  • Surveillance video from a nearby store showed a man walking up and down the street with a red gasoline canister minutes before the fire

  • Police believe the unidentified individual intentionally set fire to at least six vehicles on East 174th Street near Rosedale Avenue in the Soundview area of the borough

  • The fire caused a 2-month-old baby boy to be rushed to the hospital for smoke inhalation

Surveillance video from a nearby store showed a man walking up and down the street with a red gasoline canister minutes before the fire.

Police believe the unidentified individual intentionally set fire to at least six vehicles on East 174th Street near Rosedale Avenue in the Soundview area of the borough, along with the porch of a nearby apartment building, shortly before 2 a.m.

Carmen Baez, who owns a restaurant in front of the scene said the incident left her shaken.

“Why are we going to wake up in the morning and find out all these cars burned down? You don’t see this every day, of course. And I know it’s not only me; everybody else should be scared,” she said.

The fire caused a 2-month-old baby boy to be rushed to the hospital for smoke inhalation. Doctors expect the baby to make a full recovery.

Owners of several burned vehicles said their cars and everything inside are now total losses.

"My work tablet, and my phone, another phone that I own, my personal documents, and money," said Jean Carlos, describing the valuables he lost when his car was set ablaze.

“I’m feeling so bad and upset because this is the car I use to take care of myself,” Bah said. “I take care of my family, take them to school or to work, my wife—everything. Now it has burned.”

Bah only had liability insurance, not full coverage, so his insurance company won’t replace his car.

Meanwhile, police said they don’t have a motive, and the entire incident remains under investigation.