Man Sets Fire to Dealership’s Cars Over a “Lemon” Jeep He Bought…36 Years Ago

Talk about holding a grudge. 

A 79-year-old man from Indiana, USA, set fire to cars in a franchise dealership over a Jeep with a “bad motor” that they allegedly sold him back in 1986 and then “refused to make it right”.

In the early hours of 17th July 2022, Dewey Fredrick drove the O’Daniel location in his white Chevy pickup and torched three cars at the first location and attempted to burn a fourth at the second, according to police.

At the first location, he apparently opened the fuel door of a Jeep Compass parked on the lot and stuck a road flare inside. The Compass exploded into flames, which spread to a 2013 GMC Acadia and a 2020 Jeep Cherokee parked on either side of the Compass.

He then made his way to the O’Daniel Mazda (just next door) and cut open the roof of a 2008 Pontiac Solstice convertible with a knife, before pushing another lit flare into the opening. The total damage to all vehicles is almost US$85,000.

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This was not the first time that Fredrick had retaliated for allegedly being sold the lemon. He admitted that back in 1986, he tried to “superglue” the door lock of several cars on one of O’Daniel’s lot.

These many years later, Fredrick decided a more severe punishment was necessary. “It was time for the chickens to return to roost,” was what he told the arson investigator. He also apparently identified himself and his vehicle in surveillance video captured of the incident, and had laughed when told that the people at O’Daniel weren’t happy.

Fredrick has been charged with four counts of arson and could end up being sentenced up to 48 years in prison if convicted on all charges. He didn’t seemed too bothered nor even a smidge remorseful, but rather disappointed that the Pontiac was not more damaged.

If you are wondering how someone can hold a grudge for that long and act on it so violently after so long, netizens speculate that it was simply his way of getting free healthcare in his golden years, which makes more sense. It’s killing two birds—retirement and revenge—with one stone (or rather, two flares).