A hooded man believed to be the arsonist turned out to be playing a prank on police by leaving an encrypted message at the scene of one of the fires. Photo Credit: New York Daily News
Police in New York City are investigating a string of fires at construction sites in the Queens borough that are believed to be the work of one arsonist.
According to a report from the New York Post, the suspect is wanted for setting fires at at least four jobsites in Novemeber alone. Another two fires at residential jobsites in October could be linked to the suspect as well.
Upon responding to the latest fire, police found surveillance footage of a hooded person at the site. And this is where the story gets even weirder.
According to a report from the New York Daily News, that hooded figure left a message for police to decode. Upon deciphering the message, which gave cops the name of the man who left the note, they located him only to find out that he had nothing to do with the fires.
Police called the note “a mislead,” and told the post they believe the real suspect is “lighting the fires because he doesn’t like new construction.”
