Vehicular Arson Becoming More Common

Burdened by debt and driving home from a night of gambling in West Virginia, Sergio Lopez launched a scheme that at the time must have seemed like a good idea.

He pulled his Volkswagen Jetta up to a random corner, doused the interior with petrol, set it on fire and walked away.

He later made a claim to Nationwide Insurance. He said that the car was missing and that someone could have stolen it.

But when his bluff was uncovered, Lopez found himself standing before the law. He pleaded guilty in his case this year.

Torching cars, especially if one can't meet payments, is set to become a trend.

The Washington Post said among the offenders were:

A police officer

A firefighter

And one man who did it as a favour to a friend.

Investigators say such crimes, which now number in the hundreds, are expected to increase.