Willow Glen Resident

News

Police patrols increased in Willow Glen after cars are set on fire

By Alicia Upano

April 26 was not a good morning for car owners in east Willow Glen. Beginning at 4 a.m., vandals torched four cars on several streets, vandalized five more cars in the neighborhood, and egged a number of vehicles on Franquette Avenue.

At 3:58 a.m., the San Jose Fire Department responded to a call that a Mazda Miata was in flames on Johnston Avenue near Pine Avenue. At 4:27 a.m., a Mercedes parked at a home near the corner of Coastland and Byerly avenues was also set on fire. Moving south, the arsonists then torched two cars near Coastland and Curtner avenues at 4:42 a.m. All the vehicles were damaged except for the Mercedes.

"All indications lead us to believe that these were incendiary fires," San Jose Fire Capt. Alberto Olmos said. "We're working on how they were started."

The fire and police departments are jointly working on a number of active leads. Olmos said they are gathering information from the scene, interviewing residents and seeking tips from witnesses. The San Jose Police Department has also increased police patrols of the area.

Coastland Avenue residents Tim Nobriga and Elizabeth Bliss were sleeping when he heard a newspaper delivery boy pounding on the door.

"He made enough of a ruckus and kept pointing, saying 'car,' that I saw enough of the flames. I ran out and got the garden hose."

Bliss and Nobriga's cars were parked in the driveway, but it was Bliss' Mercedes that was set on fire. The car contained several albums of old photographs in the burning trunk. Bliss had been collecting a lifetime of photographs to share with her children and grandchildren during her upcoming 60th birthday.

"There was sadness seeing my car in flames with memories of my childhood that I was treasuring for years," Bliss said.

Nobriga was able to keep some of the flames down with the garden hose, but he could see the inside of the trunk beginning to burn.

The fire department, which had been battling the Miata fire a block away, quickly arrived and put out the fire. Nobriga was able to snatch the albums, still sizzling like a hot iron but unharmed, he said.

Nobriga's convertible also remained untouched. He theorizes the delivery boy probably scared off the arsonists before they could set the convertible aflame.

Down the block, Arthur Zwern was tossing and turning in bed with back pain when he caught the sight of flashing lights outside his window.

"I thought it was my neighbor's house," said Zwern. "I was a little frightened at first, then I saw it was just cars in the driveway."

The flames shot more than 20 feet in the air. They engulfed the two cars parked in his elderly neighbor's driveway. Zwern describes the experience as "crazy ... scary ... and very strange."

Part of the problem, Zwern said, is that tree-lined Coastland Avenue is used as a thoroughfare, bringing numerous non-residents through the neighborhood. Franquette Avenue is also frequently used to cross onto Lincoln Avenue, he said.

In previous years, Coastland Avenue had experienced a rash of home burglaries. More recently, in July and December of 2005, several cars on Coastland Avenue were egged. North of the neighborhood, on Milton Way, vandals etched a derogatory gay term on a front lawn with gasoline and set it on fire on Dec. 25. They also vandalized a car with anti-gay terms using paint stripper. All the crimes occurred in the early hours of the morning.

Neighbors hope to hold a community meeting to strengthen neighborhood watch awareness on the street. A date is still being planned.

"I've never been concerned about safety in Willow Glen, but in any neighborhood, the more personal relationships you develop and the more awareness, the richer it is," said Bliss, pointing to how a strong neighborhood could help prevent any further arson or vandalism or even assist in emergencies.

Meanwhile, the losses weigh heavy on Coastland Avenue.

"We all work hard for what we have," Bliss said. "It's really sad to have something like this happen."

Coastland Avenue neighbor Keith Kuhlengel agrees.

"This isn't something that anybody should have to put up with in any neighborhood," Kuhlengel said.

The San Jose Fire Department is encouraging anyone who witnessed activity in the area on April 26 from 3 to 5:30 a.m. to call investigators at 27ARSON or 408.272.7766.