Man accused of trying to set police chief's cruiser on fire in Plymouth County
A man was caught on camera Friday dumping gasoline on the police chief's cruiser outside the Abington, Massachusetts, police station.
Authorities said the suspect, Franklin Cederholm, tried to set the car on fire.
Investigators said Cederholm didn't get to finish the job.
A lieutenant saw what was going on, went outside and stopped the man, while another officer went back in to call for backup.
"He was going to light the cruiser on fire, and the cruiser was very close to the building," said Chief John Bonney. "The building would have gone up, and this could have been catastrophic, but our lieutenant acted really quickly and really was to save the day here."
No one was hurt.
Cederholm, 39, was taken to the hospital for a mental health evaluation. He is facing several charges, including attempted arson.
Police said he had 2 gallons of gasoline and a lighter.
