A Florida woman was set ablaze at a gas pump by a stranger who had just borrowed her phone, police in St. Petersburg said.
The 41-year-old victim was pumping fuel into her Volvo SUV at a Mobil station on 40th Avenue North last Thursday night when Eleanor Crawford, 41, approached and asked to use her phone, according to police. The woman handed it over. Crawford then asked for money, and when the woman refused, she allegedly pulled out a lighter and ignited the gas nozzle, police said.
Flames erupted around the victim and her vehicle within moments.
Scotty Gamling, a witness who was nearby, saw the attack unfold and rushed to help. He described the scene as “a fireball.”
Gamling pulled the burning woman into his truck and called 911. In an eerie twist, he had already called police about Crawford before the attack, having spotted her involved in some kind of disturbance across the street where an altercation appeared to break out. Officers were already responding when the gas-station attack erupted.
Police caught Crawford nearby within about 20 minutes of the incident.
The two women were complete strangers with no known relationship before the encounter at the pumps, investigators said.
The victim suffered second-degree burns on her arms and back and was rushed to Tampa General Hospital. She is expected to survive.
“It’s kind of a unique case because you don’t see anything like this, especially something that results in such horrific burns,” Assistant Police Chief Mike Kovacsev said in a press statement. “Luckily they were able to get her stabilized, and she’s going to make it.”
Kovacsev also addressed Crawford’s possible state of mind. “I don’t know if alcohol and drugs were involved, but indicative of her history, there might’ve been something that diminished capacity there,” he said. “Why would she even do something like this?”
Crawford has an extensive criminal history that includes drug- and alcohol-related charges, according to police. She now faces attempted felony murder and arson charges as the investigation continues.