Man sets East African woman's car on fire at Saint-Cloud drive-thru

Lina Portman2 weeks ago

0 2 minutes read

ST. CLOUD — It was just another Monday morning for an 18-year-old St. Cloud resident from East Africa. But when she noticed flames coming out of the back of her car, her day was about to change.

The woman told the St. Cloud Times that a man, later identified as James John Arthur Lund, allegedly approached her 2024 Hyundai Tucson, poured rubbing alcohol on it and set the vehicle on fire while that she was waiting at the 2505 W. Division St. Walgreens. Drive-thru. The driver then got out of the car and used a bottle of water to put out the flames.

As the woman got out of the car, she alleges the man yelled at her to cover the damage with her insurance, then drove across the street where he allegedly poured liquid on another vehicle but did not put the vehicle into it. fire.

The woman called 911 around 10 a.m. Police then responded to the call and located Lund around 10:30 a.m. near 22nd Avenue and Highway 23, eventually taking him into custody, according to police documents. Lund, 39, is being held in the Stearns County Jail on charges of third-degree arson and fifth-degree drug possession.

“It was something that caught me off guard,” the woman said. “It was a very scary experience since I was in the car when he lit it.”

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The 18-year-old said she has never personally been a victim of hate crimes or harassment. She is hesitant to call the incident race-related because the man approached from behind and could not see her face directly. But she does not rule out this possibility because he may have seen the outline of her hijab.

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“I really don’t know (if it was race-related),” the 18-year-old said. “Maybe it was a racial crime, or maybe he did it out of the blue…I've never had that experience. No hate crime, although I think it could have been due to the fact that I was wearing my (hijab).

A court hearing has not yet been scheduled in Lund, according to the court docket as of Tuesday morning.

Corey Schmidt covers local government for the St. Cloud Times. He can be contacted at [email protected].

Lina Portman

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