EL CERRITO (KRON) — An El Cerrito family made a disturbing discovery outside their home–two fires burning under their car.
Police are calling it a hate crime, and now, the family is worried about its safety.
It happened at around 3 a.m. last Wednesday. Greg Gregory’s wife woke up and noticed flickering outside the front window. There were two fires burning underneath the family car, which was parked in the driveway.
She woke Greg up. He ran outside to put the fires out.
“I immediately ran over to the firehose over there, put them out and called the police, police came in, did their investigation…,” Greg said. “Fingerprints and everything, and in the process of doing that, they actually found a note that was on the grass that said, ‘Go away (expletive).'”
The fires were located in the front and the back of the car. The “N” word was on the note.
Greg says he is scared for his family’s safety.
“In between the rear two tires, there was a fire log lit, kind of in the area where the gas tank would be,” Greg said. “Then, also, towards the middle of the two front tires. there was another one that was lit as well.”
El Cerrito police confirmed the whole thing, and Greg is now wondering who would want to hurt his family.
“I’ve never had any negative interactions with any of the neighbors here–coworkers, people in passing, people in business, nothing,” Greg said. “So, I’m just your average guy who goes to work and comes home and deals with his family, so I don’t have any issues with anybody.”
Greg said he would never imagine something like this happening in this community at this day and age.