Police investigating pickup truck fire amid string of arsons in Southwest Philadelphia

Tuesday, December 5, 2023
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Investigators in Southwest Philadelphia are trying to figure out if a small fire inside a pickup truck is related to a string of arsons from Monday.

A portion of the truck was found burning in the Penrose Plaza Shopping Center on Island Avenue at 4 a.m. Tuesday. Although it did not do much damage, police are questioning if it's connected to other arsons involving other vehicles in the area.

A ring camera captured one of the fires Action News first reported about Monday morning.

Police investigating after at least 4 vehicles set on fire in Southwest Philadelphia


The video shows a man get out of the backseat of a car parked on 72nd Street. Then, ten minutes later, the car was fully taken over by flames.

Police say at least three other vehicles, including a dump truck, were set on fire in a matter of hours and all within a five-block area.
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