# A stranger, a lighter, and a gas pump

> A Florida woman was pumping gas when a woman she had never met walked up and set the fuel alight.
- Title: A stranger, a lighter, and a gas pump · Valleynewslive
- Summary: A Florida woman was pumping gas when a woman she had never met walked up and set the fuel alight. Police say the attacker and the victim were strangers, and…
- Keywords: crime, florida, arson, attempted murder, police, news, local, stranger, lighter, gas, pump, Valleynewslive
- Source: Valleynewslive — https://valleynewslive.com/2026/09/13/stranger-sets-woman-pumping-gas-fire-leaving-her-with-serious-burns-police-say
- Published: 2026-09-13T06:33:50.825+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: crime, florida, arson, attempted murder, police, news, local
## A routine stop turns
Around 8 p.m. Thursday, a 41-year-old woman was filling her Volvo SUV at a Mobil station in St. Petersburg, Florida. A stranger walked toward her.
## A lighter at the pump
Police say 41-year-old Eleanor Crawford approached the victim and used a lighter to ignite the gasoline as it flowed into the SUV.
## Second-degree burns
The victim was seriously hurt with second-degree burns and was taken to the hospital.
## The pump caught too
Flames engulfed her SUV and the gas pump itself, according to St. Petersburg police.
## Arrested blocks away
Officers picked up Crawford a couple of blocks from the station. Court records show charges of attempted murder and arson, with bond set at $350,000.
## No motive, no connection
Police say Crawford did not know the woman she is accused of burning. Investigators have not determined why it happened.
## Key takeaway

Police say the attacker and the victim were strangers, and no motive has been found yet.