A woman who attended Chicago's Riot Fest alleged her car was set on fire after refusing to pay for parking on a public street.
Gayle Kamberos headed to opening night of the punk and grunge festival on Friday and found a parking spot on Albany Avenue. But when she pulled up, the Chicago resident said a man demanded $20 to park. She refused and said the man then threatened to set her car on fire.
"There was a gentleman who ran up to me said, 'Ma’am it’s $20 for the space,' and I said, 'There’s no dibs here,' and he said, 'I’m gonna set your car on fire, I’m gonna set your car on fire,' and I said, 'yeah, OK.'"
After the festival, she returned to find her Fiat 500 torched and totaled. Earlier, Kamberos took a photo of the man she said confronted her when she pulled into the spot.
Kamberos said she was furious because her car was ruined, and she felt the arson wasn't taken seriously by Riot Fest organizers.
"In the back of my mind I thought maybe he’s gonna key my car, maybe he’ll slash my tires," she stated. "I didn’t expect to walk out to an arson…I didn’t, I didn’t think he’d really do it. That’s it. That’s an extreme threat."
Some of her belongings were stolen from the vehicle, the Chicagoan said.
Local
No arrests had been made as of Saturday evening.
Chicago police said no other arsons were reported nearby. An investigation remained underway.
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