7 Trucks Set Ablaze In East New York, Brooklyn
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- At least seven semi-trailer trucks were set ablaze early Sunday in East New York, Brooklyn.
As CBS2's Ali Bauman reported, police had no idea late Sunday who was behind it all.
The smoked-out husks of the truck beds were first discovered along Stanley Avenue around 2:50 a.m.
Others were found on Linwood and Chestnut streets – all industrial blocks, CBS2 reported.
As 1010 WINS' Carol D'Auria reported, all of the trucks were 18-wheelers, and the trailer portion of each truck was unscathed. It was the cabs of the trucks that were destroyed by fire.
One woman told CBS2 she was on Stanley Avenue just before the first fire broke out around 3 a.m., when an unmarked truck pulled up. She did not want to show her face out of fear.
"A man got out of a regular box truck, out of the passenger side. He came out of the truck, he walked right here to the passenger side of the tractor trailer, busted the windows, and next thing I know there was an explosion," the woman said.
The explosion left mirrors melted, steering wheels destroyed, and some roofs completely burned off. It took the FDNY hours to put all the fires out.
The witness described the man she saw break into at least one of the vehicles.
"The guy got out, he was short, I'd say 5'7", 5'9"; kind of chubby," she said. "He had on all black; a black hoodie."
Nearly all the trucks were garbage trucks. Five of the seven have markings for TTS Trucking Company in Newark.
They are parked on blocks typically lined with trucks overnight, and some believe specific trucks were targeted.
"It was not random at all," the witness said. "Someone wants to close these trailers down."
Many drivers often sleep in the cabs where all the fires were set. Burned mattresses were still on the ground late Sunday.
Some local drivers said they wouldn't be sleeping too soundly Sunday night.
"I'm probably not going to get much sleep if I decide to stay here after seeing that," said truck driver Roberto Lopez.
"Usually when you come to a city like these, people knock on the door and I ignore it," said truck driver T.J. Wyatt. "Now I won't."
Police said late Sunday that it was still unclear whether the fires were the work of a possible arsonist. They were still investigating if there was any criminality involved.