Arsonist torches 4 cars, tries to set house on fire in San Francisco

New Year’s Eve will forever be remembered in one San Francisco neighborhood, but for absolutely all the wrong reasons. 

An arsonist torched four cars and tried to set fire to a house where more than a dozen children were having a party. 

It happened on Park Street in the Bernal Heights neighborhood. About 9:30 p.m., Lila Nelson was celebrating with family and friends, when someone noticed a fire truck racing up the street.

“We turn to the right and see my boyfriend‘s car is in flames and so are the cars in front of it,” she said. “And then we turn to our left here and see our car was on fire too.”

Firefighters were able to prevent the flames from spreading to any houses.

But while the cars were burning, surveillance video captured a man with a gas can in hand, calmly walking by. And moments later, came the sound of exploding cars.

It appears the arsonist’s next stop was a house up the street where 16 children and their parents were celebrating New Year’s Eve. 

Trevor Chandler, who is running for supervisor here in District 9, described the shocking scene he‘s seen on surveillance video.

“The truck was driving by to put out fires in the cars and the arsonist was lying in wait,” he said. “He waited for the truck to pass, and then lit the fire outside the garage the children were in. Incredibly disturbing!”

It could have been a disaster, but the house never caught fire. No one was injured from all of this and the arsonist escaped into the night, leaving behind a neighborhood on edge.

“Just going to sleep at night, you don’t know if something like this will happen again,” said Nelson.

San Francisco police say they came out and talked to witnesses. They also say anyone who has any information, reach out to them.