Auto Arson Rises in S.J.

Can't make your auto payment? Light your car on fire, and tell the insurance company you were a victim of theft.

That's what a local prosecutor says he's seeing more of these days. But instead of chasing down a phantom arsonist, oftentimes he charges the car owner with insurance fraud.

A symptom of the overall economy - a troubled housing market and high gas prices - auto arsons in San Joaquin County have doubled in the past three years, according to the state Department of Insurance.