Groups | Search | Server Info | Keyboard shortcuts | Login | Register [http] [https] [nntp] [nntps]

Groups > stl.general > #5161

Massive Puerto Rican arson investigation triggers search of St. Louis-area home

Cross-posted to 5 groups.

Show all headers | View raw

ST. LOUIS — An arson investigation underway in Puerto Rico has local ties 
to the St. Louis region.

A St. Peters woman is accused of setting three businesses on fire in 
Puerto Rico. 5 On Your Side is not naming the woman because she has not 
officially been charged with a crime. 

However, ATF confirmed to 5 On Your Side that federal officials executed a 
search warrant at the woman's home in St. Peters on Tuesday morning. Now-
viral video circulation on social media showed the woman being escorted 
out of her home by federal officials. 

"She’s not under arrest and what the video shows is her being removed, as 
they executed a search warrant," ATF spokesperson Lisa Storey said. "ATF 
is assisting authorities in Puerto Rico, as they continue their arson 
investigation.”

The fire burned down three businesses, including Luichy's Seaside Hotel, a 
restaurant/bar called Bar Marea, and a souvenir shop called Artes Juavia. 

The property owner, Angel Marrero, oversees the hotel. He told 5 On Your 
Side, a family rents out the space on the first floor to operate Bar Marea 
and Artes Juavia.

The businesses were located in the Cabo Rojo community on the southwest 
coast of Puerto Rico.

Bar Marea owners said in a Facebook post that this woman was drunk, 
insulted customers, and assaulted a waitress before they asked her to 
leave on Jan. 2. Police escorted her to her nearby Airbnb twice, but later 
that night, there were reports of a fire at the businesses. 

The post said about 50 people had to evacuate from the hotel.

Security footage assisted local police in identifying the woman and soon, 
social media posts went viral.

The crime caught the attention of St. Louis Alderwoman Daniela Velázquez, 
who wrote a letter and encouraged action. As a proud Puerto Rican, 
Velázquez wanted to speak up. The very same day the news broke, Velázquez 
sent a letter to the woman's employer and urged the company to assist 
authorities.

HLK Agency responded and shared this on social media:

"We were shocked to learn about the events in Puerto Rico. We have not yet 
been contacted by law enforcement in either Puerto Rico or Missouri but we 
are ready to cooperate in their investigation if asked. After learning 
about this on Friday afternoon, we chose to immediately place the employee 
on suspension pending further information. We are outraged by this 
senseless act and hope the authorities can address it in a timely 
fashion."

"I think one of the messages I want to send is, Puerto Ricans wherever 
we're at, we're here. We're going out to watch out for our people and for 
Latinos," Velázquez told 5 On Your Side. "Really, the audacity of any 
tourist to come in, in the sense of entitlement, to destroy livelihoods 
and businesses and walk away is what outrages people."

Velázquez also explained the woman's possible access to gasoline. 

"A lot on the island has changed since Hurricane Maria and one of the 
biggest issues has been the privatization of the power grid and also just 
the rolling blackouts and the failure of the power grid. So the power grid 
actually failed on New Year's Eve, about 90% of the island was without 
power. So to my understanding, the reason why there was a gas can at the 
Airbnb was because the Airbnb owners were trying to make the person 
comfortable... they had a generator, which requires gas so there's a gas 
tank at the Airbnb," she added.

Velázquez has been working with the St. Louis Puerto Rican Society and 
board member Hector Vega. The organization has been running for 30 years, 
bringing together 200 members.

Vega said he grew up in Puerto Rico and spent most of his life there. It's 
why this crime hits close to home.

"There's a lot of culture there in Cabo Rojo and we always like tourists 
to come in and we like to teach them our way. When we're treated like this 
and this is how we get basically paid for, it's very sad, because families 
are affected, as we speak right now. That's why we're here calling a call 
for action and demanding justice," Vega added.

Cabo Rojo's Vice Mayor, Ivette Rodríguez, said this is the first time this 
has ever happened in their small town. She noted, tourism is how Cabo Rojo 
survives.

Rodríguez said, "I really hope this person of interest, we want her to 
come here. We want this person to face justice. What happened to these 
people, they lost a lot of money, people lost their employment and a sense 
of security."

A Gofundme has raised more than $150,000 for the restaurant and souvenir 
shop. It needed help to replace the lost equipment, such as machinery, 
kitchen tools, and decorations, to rebuild and replenish the inventory, 
cover legal expenses, and reopen the businesses and recover the jobs.

There's also a Gofundme for Marrero, who faces $500,000 in damages.

The St. Louis Puerto Rican Society is currently organizing a local 
fundraiser to help the impacted businesses.

According to NBC News, authorities in Puerto Rico said they are close to 
charging a suspect in the incident, in which security cameras caught a 
tourist suspected of setting the fire, Puerto Rico’s largest newspaper, El 
Nuevo Día, reported Tuesday. Charges could come as soon as this week or 
next week, Lt. Miguel Rivera Sepúlveda of the Mayagüez Police Department’s 
explosives division told the newspaper.

https://www.ksdk.com/article/news/crime/puerto-rico-arson-business-fire-
st-peters-woman-investigation-missouri/63-a074c0ee-0071-45ef-8cfb-
f23e914d370c

Back to stl.general | Previous | Next | Find similar | Unroll thread

Thread

Massive Puerto Rican arson investigation triggers search of St. Louis-area home Ugly Democrats <ugly-democrats@usa.us> - 2025-01-17 23:39 +0100

csiph-web