February 4, 2005 -- A retired auto mechanic burned to death in front of his Queens home early yesterday as he sat idly in the beloved luxury car that illness and old age made him unfit to drive, police and family said.
Police are still investigating what caused the fire inside Vernon Crawford's 2003 Mercury Grand Marquis sedan - although relatives said it was likely ignited by a cigarette.
Relatives said there's a good chance he never left his parking spot. When Crawford, 72, became too ill to drive the car, he took to sitting in the front seat, turning the ignition, and just listening to the engine purr.
"He wouldn't go anywhere," his son, Herbert Crawford, said yesterday. "He'd just sit and smile."
As far as the family can tell, that's what Crawford decided to do late Wednesday night.
But shortly after 2 a.m. yesterday, Crawford's niece heard the car horn blaring in front of their South Ozone Park home. By the time she got outside, the car was engulfed in flames.
Police said they were not sure if Crawford died before or after the fire ignited.
