VIDEO: Suspect throws Molotov cocktail at San Jose home sparking fire
SAN JOSE, Calif. (KTVU) - San Jose fire arson investigators are searching for one, possibly two suspects, wanted in connection to a pair of crimes Sunday night.
One incident occurred just east of downtown, the other in the Willow Glen section of the city.
Surveillance video obtained by KTVU shows a man riding down Atlanta Avenue holding a glowing object. Neighbors say they heard nothing until the object hit a home’s porch. Then almost instantly, a small fire started.
“It was shocking. To see somebody ride close by and the family that lives in that house, at night. And that’s arson,” said neighbor Travis Steagall.
Cameras perched on the home captured the cowardly act around 9 p.m. on Sunday.
The homeowner told KTVU by text, "My mom saw fire outside her upstairs window and screamed for me. At the same time, I heard something strange so I got up to look. There was a fire in the front yard.”
The homeowner was able to grab a garden hose and put out the blaze before San Jose firefighters arrived on scene minutes later.
“If he’s targeting homes, and throwing them at homes, then that is a life hazard for the people that are living in those homes,” said San Jose Fire Department Battalion Chief Robert Bacon.
About six minutes before the arson attack in Willow Glen, a similar crime was committed just four miles away in the 1000 block of East San Fernando Street.
“A little bottle of gas and, it hit right here, but it didn’t go over the fence,” said one neighbor who didn’t want to be identified due to safety concerns.
The flammable device landed on the ground outside the home, burning the sidewalk and shrubbery. Witnesses said the suspect was also on a bicycle. However, investigators don’t know if it’s the same person who committed the Willow Glen crime.
“We’re asking people to be vigilant out there. Be our eyes and ears and report anything suspicious,” said Chief Bacon.
Neighbors said they'll keep a closer eye on vagrants moving through their streets
“It’s scary. it could have been any street here,” said Steagall.