Hialeah, FL - A South Florida man has been arrested for allegedly setting a car on fire as an act of vengeance fueled by a recent breakup.
Police say 44-year-old Pier Vincenzo Lodedo, a Hialeah resident, was taken into custody after reportedly setting a man's car on fire in South Miami on Thursday morning.
On Thursday, emergency responders were dispatched to the 6000 block of Southwest 76th Street just before 6 a.m., where they found a blue Honda Civic engulfed in flames.
A witness who was walking his dog in the vicinity informed police that he observed an individual dressed in all black with a white baseball cap, whom he deemed "strange."
After returning to his apartment, the witness encountered the same "suspicious" figure again, this time seen fleeing the area and getting into a beige Volkswagen Beetle.
Shortly after the second encounter, the witness spotted the Honda Civic engulfed in flames.
The witness alerted neighbors, including the owner of the vehicle.
According to police, the victim's female acquaintance was in the midst of separating from Lodedo, her ex-boyfriend.
The woman had taken refuge with the victim, whom she regarded as a "brother."
In her statement to authorities, the woman claimed that Lodedo intentionally set the vehicle on fire as an act of "vengeance" due to her leaving him.
She further alleged that Lodedo was "jealous" and aimed to inflict financial harm on the victim.
Audio messages provided to detectives reportedly corroborated the woman's narrative.
Detectives interrogated Lodedo at the South Miami police station, where he was arrested and transported to the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on a charge of second-degree arson.
According to police, Lodedo cited his ex-girlfriend's presence at the victim's residence following their breakup as the reason for the attempted arson.
His bond has been set at $7,500.