Man sets East African woman's car on fire in St. Cloud

Corey Schmidt, St. Cloud Times
·2 min read
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ST. CLOUD — It was just another Monday morning for an 18-year-old East African St. Cloud resident. But when she noticed flames coming out from the back of her car, her day was about to change.

The woman told the St. Cloud Times that a man, later identified as James John Arthur Lund, allegedly approached her 2024 Hyundai Tucson, poured rubbing alcohol on it and set the vehicle on fire as she waited in the 2505 W. Division St. Walgreens drive-thru. The driver then got out of the car and used a water bottle to put out the flames.

As the woman got out of the car, she alleges the man yelled at her to cover damages with her insurance then he continued across the street where he allegedly poured a liquid on another vehicle but didn't set it on fire.

The woman called 911 at roughly 10 a.m. Police then responded to the call and located Lund at around 10:30 a.m. near 22nd Avenue and Highway 23, eventually taking him into custody, according to police documents. Lund, 39, is being held at the Stearns County Jail under third-degree arson and fifth-degree drug possession charges.

“It was something that caught me off guard,” the woman said. “It was a very scary experience since I was in the car when he lit it up.”

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The 18-year-old said she has never personally experienced any hate crimes or harassment. She is hesitant to label this incident as race-related because the man approached from behind and couldn't directly see her face. But, she doesn't rule out the possibility as he may have seen her hijab's outline.

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"I really don’t know (if this was race-related),” the 18-year-old said. “Maybe it was a racial crime, or maybe he did it out of the blue...I’ve never experienced any hate crimes, though I think it could’ve been because I was wearing my (hijab).”

Police arrest man for allegedly setting St. Cloud car on fire.
Police arrest man for allegedly setting St. Cloud car on fire.

A court hearing has yet to be scheduled for Lund, according to Tuesday morning's court docket.

Corey Schmidt covers local government for the St. Cloud Times. He can be reached at cschmidt@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on St. Cloud Times: Man sets East African woman's car on fire in St. Cloud drive-thru