Someone burned Shirlene Sabal’s car

A fire on Central American Boulevard in the early pre-dawn hours could have been worse for a family of ten. According to Shirlene Sabal, a City Council employee, her family woke up to the smell of smoke and when they looked through the windows, her white Toyota Corolla was on flames. News Five spoke to Sabal this evening who says that the destruction of her vehicle was caused by arson.

Shirlene Sabal, Victim of Arson

shirlene sabal

“Bout three-fifty this morning I heard the vehicle alarm come on, so I look through my window and I see smoke so I wake up everybody from out ah di house and I tell deh fire deh downstairs. So we run downstairs and the car deh pan fire. So we try get hose and bucket and thing and out it. Dehn pikney deh call 911, we call police, we call fire pump, but when fire pump come, fire mi done out already. And then CIB come and take a statement. But when we look we see wah bottle weh look like gasoline mi deh close to the vehicle. So we just try move it and that was it. We noh see nobody, we noh know dah who. So I noh know weh fi seh, honestly.”

Jose Sanchez

“You didn’t hear noises?

Shirlene Sabal

“Nothing, nothing, nothing. It was a plastic bottle—wah crystal bottle—because chemical mi still deh ina di bottle when we come down.”

Jose Sanchez

“Do you know anyone who would want to do this?”

Shirlene Sabal

“Honestly, I di tell yoh di truth, I noh really know who, we noh see nobody. So we can’t really pinpoint pan nobody. So I just want this to be stopped because you could neva know what da the next step weh they wahn tek. And I neva really know I had such devious enemies. I really neva know because I am a nice person. So come on.”

Jose Sanchez

“What kinda car is it?”

Shirlene Sabal

“Wah Toyota Corolla, ’96.”

Jose Sanchez

“What’s the value?”

Shirlene Sabal

“Oh I guess ‘bout five thousand.”

Jose Sanchez

“This could have been worse. It could have affected the kids, anyone in the house.”

Shirlene Sabal

“Da true because weh happen, a high tension wire deh over the vehicle and when the vehicle bust noh everybody just had fuh run. It could have been worse. It coulda mi ker somebody cost a life. And honestly ah di beg dehn, whosoever. Have wah heart, wah conscience. Please make it stop.”

Police investigations continue. No suspect has been identified in relation to the incident.