Community terrified after alleged arsonist accused of setting neighbor's house on fire
MELBOURNE, Fla. - A Florida neighborhood was terrorized by an alleged arsonist after one home was set on fire, and others could have gone up in flames, authorities said.
The suspect, Michael Randolph, was still behind bars on Friday afternoon, but some people are still living in fear after what happened on Tuesday night in a subdivision off Croton Road.
FOX 35 News went out to the neighborhood where the fire broke out and spoke with the victim whose home was lit on fire. The victim said this all started because people were worried about a man driving very fast down the street.
He went over and asked him to please slow down when he drove, but that didn’t go well because later that night, right before the couple went to bed, they saw someone sneaking around the house around 9:30 p.m.
As soon as they went outside, the victim says, they saw their home go up in flames and a man running away.
"I was able to get to the flames rather quickly, thank God," said the homeowner.
A charred frame and damaged screen door were still left behind at the home on Friday.
"There he was. He was lighting the fire right there on the side of the house," said the homeowner, recounting what happened.
The victim whose home was set on fire didn’t want to show his face on camera but showed FOX 35 around his property. He said this all started when he asked a man living across the street with his mother to slow down when he drove in the neighborhood.
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"I guess he got quite angry," said the homeowner.
The homeowner and his wife were able to put out the fire before it spread past his garage, and Melbourne first responders were on the scene last Tuesday night.
Neighbors also saw the man trying to hide between other houses, so officers made an arrest the same evening.
Michael Randolph appeared before a judge on Thursday. The 35-year-old is being held at the Brevard County jail on several charges, including arson, resisting an officer, and breaking and entering.
"It could have been catastrophic, especially since we all were about to go to bed," said Chris, who lives near the home that was set on fire.
Chris’s home wasn’t set on fire, but Melbourne police say it was doused in gasoline.
"The most scary part is I had no idea that this guy was running around," said Chris, who hasn’t slept well since the arson attempt.
No one was injured in the arson attack, but no one ever thought someone living on the same street as them would ever set their home on fire.
"If I hear that he bonds out and he’s around, yeah, cops are going to have to put somebody in front of my door 24/7," concluded the homeowner.
Police say when they found the suspect, he smelled like gasoline, and his foot was on fire. Randolph’s next court date is set for May 23.
