INDIANAPOLIS (WTHR) - Fire investigators have released photos of a man suspected of setting a food truck on fire Sunday morning on the northwest side of Indianapolis.
Firefighters were called to Apna Kitchen at 4225 Lafayette Road at 4:50 a.m. and again at 10 a.m. Sunday to put out the fire. A second truck parked in the lot was untouched.
The owner of the business said it is the first time something like this had happened.
Wednesday, police and fire investigators released surveillance photos of the suspect. They say the suspect was seen walking north from the area of Lafayette Square Mall, eventually setting the truck on fire. After igniting the blaze, the man again walked north behind the building.
Police say he appeared to be wearing a "shirt with a large bull face on the front."
When she looks at the burned and blackened metal that was once her food truck, Laxmi Arya might as well be looking at her livelihood in the rubble.
"It's really, really hurting me bad," said Arya.
Her truck was frequently seen on the streets of downtown Indianapolis.
"It's very hard to survive. My brother has a family. I have a family. My worker has a family. So it's $100,000. I don't know what we're going to do now," said Arya
In the video, you see a man try to get into one truck. When he can't, he moves on to the next. This time, the man gets inside.
You can see him ignite a lighter and look around.
Before long, you see him set something on fire inside the van, get out and then watch it burn.
Then, it seems, the man sets something else on fire before walking away and turning to watch the flames. At one point, he notices the security camera and looks right at it.
The man walks back to the burning van to watch the flames some more. He walks away again, but comes back minutes later and watches the van burn some more before running away.
That's when the flames really take hold. The fire gets so bright, the security camera's night vision kicks off and flames are visible in color.
Minutes later, firefighters show up and put the fire out.
When Arya got there, seven hours later Sunday morning, the truck was still smoking. The sign to her grocery store was damaged. Thankfully, the fire didn't spread to the inside of the store.
"I said, 'thank God somebody's not, not my worker there or not me.' I said, 'thank you, God'" said Arya.
Now she's praying they find the man who's responsible.
"If we cannot give him punishment, then God will give it to him," said Arya.
Anyone with information about the suspect is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 317-262-TIPS.