Imagine falling asleep in your own home-only to wake up to the smell of smoke and your living room in flames. That was the terrifying reality for a family on Flamboyant Street, who say they were targeted in a double arson attack by someone they once trusted and welcomed into their lives. Jomarie Lanza visited the family today and brings us their story.
"All of us could have gotten burned up" That's the reality the Castro family has come to terms with as victims of arson. And they have been hit twice in just under 24 hours. Home owner Hanisha Castro says that the cause of the fires leads back to a dispute between her daughter and an ex-boyfriend bent on revenge. He is now wanted by police.
Voice of: Hanisha Castro, Arson Victim
"At 6 in the morning my daughter had a dispute with her now ex boyfriend now and then she had asked him to leave the premises where we reside however he refused so this went on till in the evening like around 5:30 6 so we called for the police assistance to help us remove the guy from the thing."
"At 10:00 last night he came here he turn on my stove he turn on my gas tank all out and I saw him lighting my sofa at the entrance of this door he was stooping down with a blue lighter in his hand and he lit it and then fire. The fire on that one we managed to out then I went to the police station and I made a report there. However, thats where all the push around get."
Castro says she was unable to successfully file a report until their house was set on fire again for a second time, and the suspect did not even have to enter the house this time to light one of their window curtains on fire.
Hanisha Castro, Arson Victim
"So this morning I came in like 3:45 because I was really sleepy and a little after that, I smelled smoke, he had lit this curtain that was my next chair it was right there and at 4:00 the fire was on, that window got damaged and my sofa got damaged as well, that one got damaged seriously because we were already sleeping we dozed off call it like that. I went again to the police and I told them this is the second time this has occurred in less than 24 hours so this young man, he has a history of this already. He is a bitter person when his girlfriends they leave him so he threatened we."
"My rest of big girls are here and all of us could have gotten burned up in this place here had I been a heavy sleeper."
And until Sir Hugh Andrewin is in custody, the Castro's will be losing sleep, at the thought that at any moment, any hour of the night their house could be set on fire again
Hanisha Castro, Arson Victim
"My children they live in fear, miss I don't live in fear because fear is a sickness to me but my granddaughter, the way how I see my grandchildren this morning and their eyes so through all this smoke and thing we had to get them out of the house because they are priority to get them out and then the focus was to out the fire. So I would say he has no remorse about nothing and he will continue to do it if no one puts a stop to him. That is my feeling and I say this from the bottom of my heart as a mother, grandmother and aunt and cousin that love their grandchildren."
Anyone knowing the whereabouts of Sir Hugh Andrews can call 922-TIPS.
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