Two police officers found their car on fire after patrolling the Pelham Bay Park subway station in the 45th Precinct on Thursday, according to police.
The officers were inspecting the 6 train station, where they found a disorderly male around 10:20 p.m. on Jan. 6, according to NYPD. The officers asked the man to leave the station, which he did, police said.
When the officers returned to their vehicle — a marked police car — about 30 minutes later, it was engulfed in flames, according to police.
Officers extinguished the fire and there were no reported injuries, police said.
NYPD said there is no suspect description.
Whether the disorderly male is the suspect of the arson is under investigation, an NYPD spokesperson told the Bronx Times.
Councilwoman Marjorie Velázquez, who represents neighborhoods spanning the East Bronx — including where the incident occurred — expressed concern over the fire.
“I was really angered when I heard about the police vehicle set on fire,” Velàzquez told the Bronx Times. “Not only because of the recklessness of the actions, but because someone could have been seriously injured.”
She said 45th Precinct officers were already spread thin, serving both District 13 and Co-op City.
“It’s unacceptable for anyone to destroy public property that way, and I hope that anyone with information please comes forward,” she added.
A police spokesman said Monday there was no update and that the investigation is ongoing.
The incident took place within a week of a cop surviving being shot in the head while sleeping in his car between shifts in East Harlem during the early hours of New Year’s Day.
Mayor Eric Adams’ office declined to comment.
Anyone with information in regard to this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the CrimeStoppers website at https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org/ on Twitter @NYPDTips.
