BOSTON (WHDH) - Boston police have arrested a suspected arsonist who allegedly placed a burning blanket under a police cruiser that was parked near Downtown Crossing on Thursday morning, officials said.

Daniel Lucey, 40, of Boston, is slated to be arraigned Friday in Boston Municipal Court on charges including two counts of motor vehicle arson, according to the Boston Police Department.

Officers responding to a report a 911 call in the area West and Mason streets around 11:55 a.m. learned an individual, later identified as Lucey, had set fire to a blanket and placed under an unoccupied Boston police cruiser, officials said.

Police say officers found a charred blanket on the ground near the cruiser’s gas tank, but Lucey was nowhere to be found.

About 30 minutes later, officers in the area of Arlington and Boylston streets spotted a smoking blanket under a Honda Civic.

Lucey was later nabbed when officers found him strolling through Copley Square.

The fires come just two weeks after a cruiser was set on fire on Tremont Street during a night of violent protests in the city.

Both fires remain under investigation.

 

(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

Join our Newsletter for the latest news right to your inbox