Brockton Mayor's SUV Set On Fire: Police Offering Reward For Info

BROCKTON, MA — Someone set Mayor Bill Carpenter's city-owned 2015 Ford Explorer on fire outside his Pearl Street home on Friday night. State and local authorities are calling the fire an arson and offering a reward of up to $5,000 for anyone who has information.

The fire wasn't discovered until the next day. Police told the Brockton Enterprise the mayor wasn't home, but was visiting Cape Verde. Carpenter came home on Wednesday.

Carpenter's family was home, but no one was hurt. The fire went out on its own and the SUV had minor damage, according to a statement from Brockton Fire.

This wasn't the first time the mayor was targeted. Carpenter had received death threats in 2015, according to the Brockton Enterprise. Those threats were deemed credible by Brockton Police.

“We appreciate all the concern expressed by the Public and the media. As you can imagine, this is a difficult time for my family and I. We have faith in the State and local public safety agencies involved to complete a thorough investigation,” Carpenter said in a statement.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Arson Hotline at 1-800-682-9229.

Photo used with permission from Mayor Carpenter's office.