SJFD investigating arson spree of 24 car fires in 6 weeks, 11 happening overnight Tuesday
SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) -- The San Jose Fire Department is investigating a string of car fires, as 11 additional vehicles were damaged overnight Tuesday.
SJFD arson investigators say that brings the total to 24 car fires they are looking into that stretch from December 18 to January 27.
Juan Murrieta and his family woke up to the sound of loud bangs coming from an auto repair shop across the street in San Jose.
"Those booms, those loud booms felt really intimidating, so yeah- it was pumping up my heart- it was scary," Murrieta said.
MORE: San Jose mom loses car to string of car fires in Willow Glen neighborhood
SJFD says the 11 vehicles were set on fire in five different locations just after midnight on Tuesday. Six were within the driveway of Adem's Test Only and Willow Glen Auto Electric, located off Almaden Road near Highway 87. One employee said surveillance video shows a man getting off a bike and walking up to light the cars on fire.
Murrieta's family owns a repair shop nearby. He said their cameras also show a man riding a bike minutes before the fire broke out.
"I guess we're just thinking about how many more of these fires are going to be going around," Murrieta said.
Last week, SJFD responded to the area of Highway 87 and San Carlos Street, where nine vehicles were damaged across five locations. Before that, ABC7 News spoke to a woman in Willow Glen, who says she lost her main mode of transportation days before Christmas.
SJFD said investigators are working to determine whether all of these are connected.
ABC7 News spoke with San Jose resident Antonia Smith, who first heard about the car fires on TikTok.
"It's scary, you know, if somebody is willing to do this, at this extremity, like what are they going to do next?" Smith said.
The fire department says San Jose police are assisting with the investigation, but the fire department's arson unit is the lead agency.
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