SHE REFUSED TO GIVE A STRANGER MONEY — MOMENTS LATER, HER CAR AND THE GAS PUMP WERE ENGULFED IN FLAMES
SHE REFUSED TO GIVE A STRANGER MONEY — MOMENTS LATER, HER CAR AND THE GAS PUMP WERE ENGULFED IN FLAMES
A routine stop at a Florida gas station turned into a terrifying ordeal after police say a stranger allegedly ignited the fuel nozzle while a woman was filling her car.
A normal trip to the gas station suddenly turned into a terrifying scene in St. Petersburg, Florida, when a 41-year-old woman was allegedly set on fire by a stranger she had never met.
The victim had been filling her Volvo at a Mobil station when Eleanor Crawford, 41, approached her and asked to borrow her phone.
The woman handed it over.
Then Crawford allegedly asked her for money.
The woman refused.
According to police, that was when the situation took a terrifying turn.
THE FLAMES ERUPTED IN SECONDS
Police say Crawford pulled out a lighter and ignited the gas nozzle.
Within moments, flames erupted around the pump, engulfing the woman and her vehicle.
Nearby witness Scotty Gamling saw what was happening and rushed toward the victim.
He described the scene as a “fireball.”
Gamling helped the woman away from the flames and called 911.
What made the incident even more disturbing was that Gamling had already contacted police about Crawford shortly before the gas station incident.
He said he had seen Crawford involved in a dispute and fight across the street.
Officers were reportedly already responding when the gas station fire happened.
POLICE SAY THE TWO WOMEN DIDN’T KNOW EACH OTHER
Investigators later determined that Crawford and the victim were strangers.
Police said there was no known personal relationship between the two women before the encounter.
Crawford was arrested about 20 minutes after the alleged incident.
Authorities are continuing to investigate what prompted the confrontation.
Assistant Police Chief Mike Kovacsev questioned what could have led to such an apparently random encounter escalating so dramatically.
Police also pointed to Crawford’s history of drug- and alcohol-related offenses, although authorities have not established that substances played a role in this particular incident.
THE VICTIM SURVIVED
The 41-year-old victim was taken to Tampa General Hospital after suffering second-degree burns to her arms and back.
Despite the terrifying circumstances, authorities said she is expected to survive.
Investigators described the case as unusual because of the severity of the injuries and the apparent lack of any prior relationship between the two women.
CHARGES FOLLOW THE ALLEGED ATTACK
Crawford now faces charges including attempted felony murder and arson, according to police.
The investigation remains ongoing.
Authorities have not publicly established a motive beyond the reported dispute over money.
For the woman who had simply stopped to fill her car, a routine trip to the gas station became an experience she is unlikely to ever forget.
She walked up to the pump expecting to leave moments later.
Instead, police say, a stranger’s alleged decision to ignite the fuel nozzle turned the entire scene into flames.
