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Not only did Herbert Ridge fail in his attempt to siphon gas out of a truck in a Mesa neighborhood yesterday, he also managed to light himself on fire in the process.
Based on the video-surveillance footage of Ridge going up in flames, it appears that he did not want to be on fire.
According to Mesa police, Ridge, 37, was trying to siphon gas out of a truck in a neighborhood near Broadway Road and Signal Butte Road yesterday afternoon, and his attempt was not a success.
However, as you can see in the surveillance footage in the video at the bottom of this post, Ridge did catch on fire at that point. He tried the ol’ stop, drop, and roll, before he hopped back in his own truck and drove away.
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Ridge didn’t make it too far in the truck, as police say he either jumped or fell out of the truck, and the truck — which also appeared to be on fire — slammed through someone’s garage door. Police say there was fire damage to the house.
Ridge actually ran about two miles away from the scene before being caught by the cops, according to Mesa police.
Ridge was taken to the Maricopa County Burn Unit, and charges of theft, DUI, criminal damage, and dangerous-drug possession are all pending.
ABC 15 obtained surveillance footage from a homeowner who caught just about the whole thing on tape, which you can see in the station’s report below:
