Police Hunt For Arsonist After 7 Semis Burn Overnight In Brooklyn
Brooklyn police say that they suspect arson was the cause of seven parked trucks going up in flames early Sunday morning.
Seven Trucks Severely Damaged By Fire
Seven tractor-trailer trucks are heavily damaged by fire overnight while parked in Brooklyn https://t.co/w1DdnndBHh
— NBC New York (@NBCNewYork) July 31, 2016
Police received calls about a truck on fire at the intersection of Stanley Avenue and Essex Street around 3 a.m. and later discovered that six other trucks in the area had also been burned.
Five of the seven burned trucks belonged to owner-operators who work for TTS Trucking, a company that hauls waste from New York City to Pennsylvania.
Truckers Say There Have Been Several Cases Of Burning Trucks In Recent Months
Truckers in the area say that there have been about 20 incidents of trucks catching on fire in the area in recent months.
While no injuries were reported, truck driver are worried about would have happened if a driver was inside the truck during the fire. Said driver Nazim Khan, who had his truck set on fire recently, “It’s scary, you don’t want to work, you could be sleeping in one of those trucks. It’s a sleeper – you sleep in there, you get loaded, and you go out.”
Police are investigating the incident as arson but have yet to make any arrests.
Photos: Arson fire in East New York, Brooklyn, 3 semi truck cabs were set on fire at 2:30 am this morning. pic.twitter.com/KUHBMFgxGm
— LloydPhoto (@Lloydphoto) July 31, 2016
Sources:
ABC 7 NY
NBC New York
New York Daily News
The Gothamist