Reward set as police search for suspect who tried to torch Brockton mayor's SUV

BROCKTON, Mass. — State investigators are offering a reward of up to $5,000 for any information leading to the capture of an arsonist who set fire to the Brockton mayor's SUV.

Brockton Mayor Bill Carpenter was not at home when someone tried to set fire to his city-owned SUV on Pearl Street sometime over the weekend, according to a statement from the Office of the State Fire Marshal.

State fire officials were called to investigate on Saturday. Investigators determined that the fire was intentionally set, most likely sometime the night before.

The fire in the 2015 Ford Explorer had self-extinguished and suffered minor damage. No one called the fire department at the time of the fire. The fire damage was discovered on Saturday in daylight.

In a statement, Carpenter said he trusts authorities to investigate the incident during a "difficult time" for his family.

"We appreciate all the concern expressed by the Public and the media," Carpenter's statement read. "As you can imagine, this is a difficult time for my family and I. We have faith in the State and local public safety agencies involved to complete a thorough investigation."

Brockton Fire and Brockton Police are investigating along with the State Police assigned to the Office of the State Fire Marshal.

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State Fire Marshal Peter Ostroskey is looking to the public for help in solving the case, and asks anyone with information about the fire to call the Arson Hotline confidentially, 24-hours a day, at 800-682-9229.

The hotline is part of the Arson Watch Reward Program that provides rewards of up to $5,000 for information that helps to solve the case. It is funded by the property and casualty insurance underwriting companies of Massachusetts.

Cox Media Group