A woman pumping gas in St. Petersburg let a stranger use her phone Thursday night. Police say what happened next left the 41-year-old victim hospitalized with second-degree burns.
The stranger, identified by police as 41-year-old Eleanor Crawford, then asked the woman for money, according to FOX 13. When the woman refused, police say Crawford used a lighter to ignite gasoline at the pump.
Flames engulfed the victim and her Volvo SUV at the Mobil station on 40th Avenue North shortly after 8 p.m. on Sept. 10. A nearby man ran over, helped the victim into his truck and called 911 as the scene turned into what he described to FOX 13 as a “fireball.”
The victim was taken to Tampa General Hospital with second-degree burns to her arms and back. Police said she was expected to survive.
A Stranger Steps In
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The man who came to the victim’s aid had already noticed trouble nearby before the fire, according to FOX 13’s report.
He told the station he had been parked nearby when the flames erupted. He helped the injured woman into his truck and called 911 while police were responding to an earlier disturbance in the area.
St. Petersburg police arrested Crawford a couple of blocks away within roughly 20 minutes.
No Connection
Crawford and the victim did not know each other before the encounter, according to reporting from WFLA.
Police had not identified a motive as of Friday.
Crawford faces charges of attempted felony murder and arson. An authoritative current jail record establishing her bond or custody details was not available through the records GH was able to verify Friday, so those details are omitted.
Assistant Police Chief Mike Kovacsev told FOX 13 the woman was “lucky to be alive” and would likely face a long recovery.
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