Man watches his stolen car go up in flames on the news
Willie Kelly loved his black Silverado so much so that he gave it a nickname: “Boss with the hot sauce.” As WPLG Local 10 News reports, the nickname became sadly ironic when Mr. Kelly turned on the news to see his truck in flames.
The morning of the truck fire, Kelly’s Silverado had been stolen out of the driveway of his Lauderhill, Florida home. Police happened to be in the area ofKelly’s home but it was because of an unrelated burglary. Lieutenant Mike Butkus believes their presence must have spooked the three car thieves, telling WSVN 7 News, “It could have possibly been that they knew they were in a stolen vehicle, they thought the police were there for them, and was trying to get away.” Lt. Butkus told WPLG that the suspects then sped past the officers, nearly hitting them, which is an aggravated felony.
Police gave chase for about two miles before the truck crashed into a pole, and burst into flames. One of the men was immediately arrested. Another two jumped a guard rail, swam across a canal and then started running across a turnpike. One of the two men who ran away was caught, but one still is at large.
As for Kelly, he saw what happened to his car only because of his family. He told WSVN, “My mother-in-law said she was watching the news. She called her daughter said, 'Y'all truck is on the news. I know it's y'all truck.'" He will now need a car, because the old one, as Kelly puts it, “burned to the T.” He told WPLG, “That really hurt me to my heart. My whole insides just felt, to see my truck just burnt like that.
Mr. Kelly hopes police are able to catch the third man who got away, because “if they come back this way, there going to be an awful thing.” If you have any information regarding the missing suspect, police ask that you call Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS.