A Florida woman is facing attempted murder and arson charges after authorities say she deliberately set a stranger on fire at a St. Petersburg gas station, leaving the victim with severe burns.
Eleanor Crawford, 41, allegedly walked up to Christine Sherbuk, also 41, as Sherbuk pumped gasoline into her Volvo SUV at a Mobil station Thursday night and ignited the fuel with a lighter, according to police and an arrest affidavit. The attack appeared random, investigators said, and the two women did not know each other.
The gasoline caught fire at about 8 p.m., engulfing the SUV in flames and leaving Sherbuk with second-degree burns to her arms and back. She was taken to the trauma center at Tampa General Hospital in serious condition. Police said she was stabilized and is expected to survive.
Witness Scotty Gramling told Fox 13 Tampa Bay he was parked nearby when the violence erupted and rushed to help as flames swallowed the vehicle. He described what he saw as a «fireball» and helped the injured woman into his truck before calling 911.
Gramling said that moments earlier he had called the police non-emergency line after seeing Crawford involved in an altercation across the street. It appeared someone was trying to pull her out of the roadway before a fight broke out, he said. Officers were already responding to that disturbance when the gas station attack unfolded.
Police located Crawford a couple of blocks away within about 20 minutes. The arrest affidavit states that multiple witnesses saw her ignite the gasoline and that the incident was captured on video.
Authorities have not identified a motive. Assistant Police Chief Mike Kovacsev told Fox 13 that investigators are still trying to understand why the attack happened. «I don't know if alcohol and drugs were involved, but indicative of her history, there might've been something that diminished capacity there,» Kovacsev said. «Why would she even do something like this?»
Police said Crawford has an extensive criminal record that includes several drug- and alcohol-related charges. Authorities have not said whether she was under the influence at the time of the alleged attack.
Kovacsev described the case as unusual because of the severity of the injuries. «It's kind of a unique case because you don't see anything like this, especially something that results in such horrific burns,» he said. «But they went out there, they worked with the fire department, and luckily they were able to get her stabilized, and she's going to make it.»
Crawford has been charged with attempted felony murder and two counts of arson. She is being held on $350,000 bond while awaiting trial. A judge ordered her to be fitted with a GPS monitor by the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office before her release from jail, court records show.
The case remains under investigation.