In an alarming series of events, a Florida mother found herself under arrest after her car, with her two young children inside, mysteriously erupted in flames while she was allegedly shoplifting in a department store.
Alicia Moore, a 24-year-old Orlando resident, left her children, unable to fend for themselves, in the car parked outside the Dillard’s department store at the Oviedo Mall on May 26, according to police reports relayed by Fox Orlando. Moore and an unidentified male companion proceeded to enter the store, where they are believed to have embarked on a theft spree.
Almost an hour into their escapade, Moore emerged from the store to a terrifying sight: her car swallowed in a massive conflagration. Abandoning the purportedly stolen goods, she rushed towards the burning vehicle.
Reacting to the calamity, onlookers and fellow shoppers sprang into action, bravely rescuing the trapped children from the fiery vehicle. In the aftermath of the incident, one child sustained first-degree burns to the face and ears, as noted in the police report.
The shocking incident was captured on a Tesla dashcam parked nearby, showing the car’s windows shattering under the force of the explosion, as thick plumes of smoke billowed out from within. The severity of the fire led to the total destruction of the vehicle, as per police reports.
However, the cause of the blaze remains uncertain.
Moore found herself facing several charges in the wake of the incident. She was apprehended and indicted with aggravated child neglect, arson, petty theft, and battery.