A Florida woman was set on fire in a shocking attack at a St. Petersburg gas station after a stranger allegedly ignited the fuel nozzle while she was pumping gas into her SUV, police said.
The 41-year-old victim was fueling her Volvo at a Mobil station on 40th Avenue North on Thursday night when Eleanor Crawford, 41, approached and asked to use her phone, according to police.
After the woman handed over the phone, Crawford allegedly asked her for money. When the victim declined, police said Crawford took out a lighter and ignited the gas nozzle. Flames quickly erupted around the victim and her vehicle.
Witness Scotty Gamling saw the attack unfold and rushed to help, getting the burning woman into his truck before calling 911.
He described the scene as “a fireball.”
In a troubling twist, Gamling had called police about Crawford before the gas-station attack. He said he saw her involved in a disturbance across the street, where what appeared to be an altercation broke out. Officers were reportedly already responding when the attack at the pumps occurred, Fox13 Tampa Bay reported.
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Police arrested Crawford nearby about 20 minutes later.
Investigators said the women were strangers with no known relationship before their encounter at the gas station.
According to police, Crawford has an extensive criminal history that includes drug- and alcohol-related charges.
“I don’t know if alcohol and drugs were involved, but indicative of her history, there might’ve been something that diminished capacity there,” Assistant Police Chief Mike Kovacsev said in a press statement. “Why would she even do something like this?”
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,” Kovacsev said. “Luckily they were able to get her stabilized, and she’s going to make it.”
Crawford now faces attempted felony murder and arson charges and the investigation continues.