San Jose Vehicle Arsonist Caught on Video

May 20--San Jose -- A video surveillance camera captured an arsonist setting fire Tuesday morning to a vehicle in the driveway of a home near Eastridge Mall.

Vince Tran said it's the third time in about six weeks his cars have been targeted in the driveway, with each incident growing in magnitude. He does not believe the attacks are random.

"They are threatening our livelihood," said Tran, who has five children between the ages of 16 to 19. "I don't have a clear understanding. I think they're targeting my son, but it seems like they're targeting" me.

Overnight, Tran's daughter woke to a popping sound and checked the surveillance video.

"She thought it was a gun going off," Tran said.

She saw the vehicles on fire and called 911. Tran grabbed a garden hose and began dousing the nearby trees in order to stop the blaze from spreading.

"The fire was so intense I thought the car was going to blow up," Tran said.

Firefighters arrived and quickly extinguished the fire, Tran said.

Tuesday morning, the driveway of his home on Sand Point Drive was charred after a fire destroyed a 2008 Acura MDX and a 2013 Honda Civic. Both vehicles had been towed by 7 am.

In the video, two figures are seen across the street. Then, one person emerges from three trees at the side of Tran's drieveway. The person douses the hood with what appears to be a flammable liquid and then lights it on fire.

Once the fire ignites the person runs off.

In the last six weeks Tran's vehicles have been vandalized two other times. His tires have been punctured, and about a week ago paint was poured on the MDX.

"I'm angry," Tran said. "It's terrible this individual is doing this to us."

Contact Mark Gomez at 408-920-5869. Follow him at Twitter.com/markmgomez.