A woman standing beside her SUV at a St. Petersburg Mobil station was turned into a fireball when police say a stranger with a lighter came over and set the gasoline ablaze.
Christine Sherbuk, 41, had been filling her Volvo SUV Thursday night when Eleanor Crawford, a woman with no known connection to her, allegedly ignited the fuel around 8 p.m. and the vehicle caught fire.
Sherbuk went to Tampa General Hospital’s trauma center in serious condition and later stabilized, with police saying she is expected to survive.
Scotty Gramling was nearby before the Mobil station turned into chaos.
He told Fox 13 Tampa Bay that he got Sherbuk into his truck and called 911 after seeing a “fireball.”
Before the flames, Gramling had already been watching Crawford across the street. He told the outlet he called the police non-emergency line after noticing her involved in another disturbance.
Gramling said someone appeared to be trying to move Crawford out of the roadway before the situation became a fight.
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The local outlet reported that officers were already headed for that disturbance when the gas station fire began.
Police arrested Crawford several blocks from the Mobil station about 20 minutes after the fire.
Witnesses pointed to Crawford as the person who started the fire, and video captured the incident, according to the arrest affidavit.
Investigators had not found any prior relationship between Crawford and Sherbuk, leaving the motive unclear.
Assistant Police Chief Mike Kovacsev told Fox 13 Tampa Bay that investigators were still looking for an explanation.
“I don’t know if alcohol and drugs were involved, but indicative of her history, there might’ve been something that diminished capacity there,” Kovacsev said. “Why would she even do something like this?”
Police said Crawford’s record includes several drug- and alcohol-related charges. Authorities have not said whether she was under the influence during the Mobil station attack.
Kovacsev said the burn injuries made the case stand out even for investigators.
“It’s kind of a unique case because you don’t see anything like this, especially something that results in such horrific burns,” Kovacsev said. “But they went out there, they worked with the fire department and, luckily, they were able to get her stabilized, and she’s going to make it.”
Prosecutors charged Crawford with attempted felony murder and two counts of arson.
She remained jailed on $350,000 bond while awaiting trial.
Court records show Crawford must be fitted with a GPS monitor by the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office before any release from jail.
In California, a grandmother’s act of kindness allegedly put a stranger inside her home for six days before her family said he nearly beat her to death with a metal baseball bat.
Therese Garcia, 71, was on her porch in Crestline last month when Erik Eduardo Navarro, 26, approached her with a story about being robbed while camping, Garcia’s daughter, Abbie, told NBC Los Angeles.
Abbie said Navarro also claimed he had a job interview coming up at a nearby hardware store.
Garcia believed Navarro was a “sweet kid” who needed help, brought him inside and cooked for him each night.
By the sixth day, Abbie told CBS News, the man Garcia had been feeding was no longer acting like someone grateful for a place to stay.
“He was there a total of six days and he started kind of making demands,” Abbie said. “He wasn’t really helping with any of the things that he agreed to in the beginning.”
Garcia told Navarro to leave. Her family said he instead waited until she fell asleep on the couch, then began swinging a metal baseball bat at her.
The attack lasted for hours, the family said. Navarro allegedly paused only when Garcia passed out and hit her again whenever she regained consciousness.
“He just kept beating her until he finally thought she was dead,” Abbie said.
After Navarro allegedly left, Garcia’s phone, credit cards, keys and e-bike were gone.
Garcia’s relatives believe neighbors kept the attack from becoming fatal by asking authorities to check on her.
San Bernardino Sheriff’s Office deputies got to Garcia’s house on August 25 and found injuries across her face and hands, including a cut forehead, a cut eyebrow, swollen hands and swelling near her eyes that made seeing difficult.
Her family said Garcia vomited blood for days and had broken bones in her arm, hands and face.
Doctors treated her for a traumatic brain injury, a brain bleed and multiple deep lacerations that required extensive stitching, her family said.
Garcia was still in the hospital after the attack, but her family said she had begun to stabilize and take small steps.
The 71-year-old may need facial surgery once the swelling goes down.
With Garcia uninsured, her family launched a GoFundMe to cover hospital bills, possible surgery and follow-up care.
“My mom didn’t deserve this,” Abbie wrote in the fundraiser. “She was simply trying to help someone she believed was in need, something she has always done throughout her life. This time, her kindness was met with unimaginable violence.”
“She survived. Now we want to help her truly recover.”
Navarro had not been found, and Abbie said her family feared what he might do while still free.
“I truly believe he will kill somebody if he’s not caught,” she said.
