POMPANO BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - A horrifying discovery was made in Pompano Beach as firefighters responded to a call about a car fire at around 6:30 a.m., Tuesday. Upon arriving at the scene, firefighters quickly extinguished the blaze, but what they found inside the vehicle was even more shocking.
In the back seat of the car, firefighters discovered a burned body so badly disfigured it was difficult to determine if it was that of a man or a woman. Investigators on the scene also found a red gas can on the ground near the car, which has raised suspicions about the cause of the fire.
While it’s still too early for investigators to say for sure whether foul play was involved, they are not ruling it out. The state fire marshal has been called to the scene to investigate the incident, and when the state fire marshal is called out, it is typically due to extensive damage and the possibility of homicide.
“When firefighters arrived, they found a fully involved car. It’s an SUV that was fully involved in flames,” said Pompano Beach Police spokesperson Sandra King, “so firefighters fought the blaze, put out the fire, and inside that car, they found a body in the backseat.”
One witness, who preferred to remain anonymous, told 7News in spanish that he reported hearing two gunshots around 6:10 a.m. and seeing someone running away from the scene. The witness immediately called 911.
Another witness, William Matillas, captured video of the fire and said he heard an explosion but was too scared to come outside.
Now, detectives are left with the daunting task of piecing together what happened. They will examine the car to try to determine who owns it and if they can find the next of kin. They will also look for any other clues that could help them solve this mystery.
“They’ll obviously try to look at the car to see if they can determine who owns the car, but that’ll all be part of their investigation to see if they can find next of kin immediately and get to the bottom of what and even who caused this,” King said.
For Matillas, he said it’s a scary situation because he doesn’t know what happened or if there is a murderer. He said that that fear is what made him go back inside his house.
Police said the car was so badly charred all identifying elements were burned away.
If you have any information on this car fire, call Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a reward of up to $5,000.
Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.