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Man Torched 135 Mercedes at NYC’s Kings Plaza to Keep Others From Having Sex

Earlier this week, a fire broke out on the second floor of New York City’s largest parking garages, at the Kings Plaza, torching 135 cars – mostly Mercedes vehicles from a local dealership. Police have the culprit in custody.
Kings Plaza fire torches 135 cars, injures 21 7 photos
Photo: Twitter / FDNY
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And he has the strangest excuse for his crime: he thought people were using the parking space to engage in all kinds of sexual activity and he thought torching the place would put an end to that, PIX11 reports. He is now gearing to face the music for what he’s done, after admitting to the crime.

About 8 hours after the fire started, police had Evon Stephens, 23, in custody. According to an affidavit that leaked to the press, CCTV footage placed Stephens at the scene of the crime and showed him setting fire to just one car.

He is seen entering a parked Mercedes and moving around in the vehicle. Smoke and flames erupt from the car, and Stephens is seen running away from it. Minutes later, the entire second floor of the parking garage was on fire and the sound of explosions could be heard from a distance.

In their attempts to put out the fire, 18 firefighters and 3 civilians were injured. 135 vehicles were totaled. The affidavit says Stephens “was motivated to start the fire by his belief that others used the parked vehicles for sexual activity.

To the media and prosecutors, the self-titled homeless man had only this to say: “I’m sorry. I apologize.” That should do little in terms of making it easier for him in court: a judge has denied him bail and he remains in custody until his trial begins. His court-appointed attorney did not dispute the order because he said Stephens had no place to go and no money to make bail either way.

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About the author: Elena Gorgan
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Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends.
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