Forest Hills Suspicious Fires

WABC7

Another Suspicious Fire Breaks Out In Forest Hills - The authorities are still trying to find a serial arsonist responsible for at least five fires in a Queens neighborhood since October. Early this morning, a fire was set at the same Forest Hills location as a previous blaze.

The most recent fire broke out at 12:18 a.m., at 112-35 69 Road, and the police released an image of a person of interest, describing him as having a light complexion, wearing glasses, a scarf on his face, and a green helmet, riding a motorcycle:

According to the police, all four other investigated arsons "occurred on construction sites in the confines of the 112 Precinct. The suspect enters the sites, and ignites flammable combustibles before fleeing on foot."

The fires have been in an area that is home to one ethnic group. One homeowner told NBC New York, "I feel that we’re under attack. It’s some kind of sort of also terrorist attacks going against Bukharan Jews."

Two other fires are also believed to be the work of the arsonist. An encrypted message left at one scene has been determined to be a "mislead."

A neighbor told the Daily News of today's fire, "It's hard to believe with everyone watching this could happen again. I hope they catch whoever is doing this."

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS (8477). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto Crime Stoppers' website or by texting their tips to CRIMES (274637), then entering TIP577. All calls are strictly confidential.