Man arrested for trying to set fire to Boston Police cruiser

BOSTON — A 40-year-old man is accused of trying to set fire to a Boston Police cruiser on Thursday.

Daniel Lucey of Boston was arrested and charged with 2 counts of arson of a motor vehicle, police said. He is expected to be arraigned in Boston Municipal Court.

Around noon on Thursday, officers responded to a 911 call in the area of Downtown Crossing, police said in a statement.

Officers parked their Boston Police cruiser at West and Mason streets while handling that 911 call.

A short time later, the officers learned that the police department had received another 911 call that a person was seen setting fire to a blanket and placing it underneath their police cruiser parked at West and Mason streets.

Officers immediately went back to their marked Boston Police cruiser and saw a charred blanket next to their vehicle.

Witnesses gave police a picture of the suspect, later identified as Lucey. Witnesses told police that Lucey was seen placing the blanket under the rear of the cruiser near the gas tank before setting it on fire and fleeing on foot down Mason Street.

Witnesses safely stomped out the flames, extinguishing the fire, police said. A description of the suspect was broadcast over police radios.

At approximately 12:28 p.m., officers in the area of Arlington and Boylston streets saw smoke coming from a blanket that was placed under a Honda Civic.

Detectives and the city’s Fire Investigation Unit responded.

Officers saw Lucey walking in Copley Square, where he was placed under arrest.

Also Thursday, a 15-year-old boy was arrested and charged with vandalizing a Boston Police cruiser, breaking its windows, and setting it on fire as rioting occurred on city streets on May 31.

The boy, a Framingham resident, was arrested late Thursday afternoon on a Boston Juvenile Court warrant and charged with arson of a motor vehicle and delinquent to wit: inciting a riot. His name was not released because he is a juvenile.

The boy’s arrest occurred days after the FBI released photographs showing two males who were being sought for more information on the May 31 cruiser arson case.

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