(Auburn, Ga., February 9, 2018) – Gwinnett County Fire Investigators are working to identify the person(s) responsible for stealing a vehicle near Suwanee and later burning it in the driveway of a vacant home in the 1200 block of Mount Moriah Road, NE in (unincorporated) Auburn.
According to Fire Investigators, the vehicle was stolen from a private residence near Suwanee, during the early-morning hours of Wednesday, February 7, 2018. The vehicle was discovered burning the same-day around 3:27 p.m. by a passerby who called 9-1-1. The vehicle is described as a black 2007 Ford Fusion and was completely destroyed by the intense heat and flames.
Fire Investigators are talking with the owner, who stated that the vehicle was taken from her residence sometime between the hours of 3 a.m. and 8 a.m. A report was filed with Gwinnett County Police and the vehicle was entered in the Georgia and National Crime Information Database. A police officer was the first to arrive at the scene of the burning vehicle and was able to query the license plate number in the computer. A Fire Investigator was called to the scene due to the suspicious circumstances. There was no one with the vehicle or at the vacant home when police and firefighters arrived and no injuries were reported.
“The person(s) responsible for the nefarious acts will likely face multiple criminal charges to include: Theft of Motor Vehicle and Second-Degree Arson, both felonies,” said Gwinnett Fire Captain Tommy Rutledge.
Anyone with information about the crimes or the person(s) responsible is asked to contact the Gwinnett Fire Investigations Section at 678.518.4890 or the Georgia Arson Control Hotline at 1-800-282-5804. Georgia Arson Control, Inc. offers a reward of UP TO $10,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction of those responsible for arson.
