BROCKTON, MASS. (WHDH) - Authorities are investigating after the city-owned vehicle of Brockton Mayor Bill Carpenter was “intentionally” set ablaze over the weekend, officials said.
The Office of the State Fire Marshal was called in on Saturday to investigate a fire involving Carpenter’s 2015 Ford Explorer that occurred on Pearl Street — just outside the mayor’s home.
Carpenter wasn’t at home at the time.
The State Fire Marshal’s Office determined the fire self-extinguished and the vehicle suffered only minor damage.
No one called the fire department and the fire was discovered in the daylight hours on Saturday, leaving officials to speculate that it was set sometime overnight on Friday.
The mayor’s landlord, Robert Moore, says nothing like this has ever happened before.
“I think that the mayor has made a lot of friends, and without a doubt, he’s probably made a lot of enemies. It’s probably some crackpot that decided they try to throw a scare into him,” Moore said. “They’re very good tenants and they’re very nice people, and I’m very happy to have them as tenants.”
In a statement Wednesday night, Carpenter said, “We appreciate all the concern expressed by the public and the media. As you can imagine, this is a difficult time for my family and I. We have faith in the state and local public safety agencies involved to complete a thorough investigation.”
Anyone with information is urged to contact the State Fire Marshal’s Arson Hotline at 1-800-682-9229.
(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)