Florida Man Dies After Van Catches Fire In Front Of Police Headquarters

A Florida man has died after the vehicle he was in caught fire outside the Daytona Beach Police Department (DBPD) headquarters. Authorities believe an incendiary device caused the fire.

Police said the 55-year-old driver pulled into the lot in front of the department's front lobby in a gray 2003 Ford van around 2.19 a.m. Wednesday. The man sat in the vehicle for two minutes before lighting up in flames.

"We had officers in the building that heard an explosion," DBPD Deputy Chief Jennifer Whittet told WKMG-TV. "It turns out that we believe that [the explosion] was the tires on the vehicle that were burning."

The man, who was driving the van, ran out of the vehicle covered in flames and collapsed shortly after. He was later declared dead, reported AP News.

People inside the building ran outside to find the vehicle covered in flames and attempted to control the fire with a fire extinguisher. The fire rescue team was then called to the scene and it was able to put out the fire. According to Whittet, the car was burned to its core and its mirrors and windows were melted.

Although police did not release the man’s identity, they said he was from Lake City, which is about 130 miles, northwest of Daytona Beach.

An investigation revealed the incident was not caused by any explosives or mechanical issues. According to the state fire marshal, an incendiary device inside the vehicle started the fire.

"The fire marshal did take some samples. There was a plastic container that had some sort of liquid in it. Don't know what kind of liquids, don't know if it meant anything to the investigation. But they're also saying that it was not an explosion," Whittet told WKMG-TV.

It was found that the van's driver was institutionalized three times under the Baker Act in 2019. "I don't know if he didn't get the help he was looking for or what he wanted from police, but at that time he threatened to blow up the FBI building in Jacksonville," Whittet was quoted as saying by the outlet.

Whittet added that the man threatened to blow up the police department and a federal building during a 2020 incident.

In the latest incident, the bomb squad did not find any explosives in the department's building when it thoroughly searched the place.