News Crime & Safety

Arsonist Arrested For Torching Police Car Outside Lauderhill Synagogue, Burning Veterans Memorial

by Kevin Deutsch January 14, 2022

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Brian Bocage [BSO]

By Kevin Deutsch

A 21-year old accused arsonist has been arrested for allegedly dousing a Lauderhill Police Department cruiser with gasoline and setting it ablaze outside a Lauderhill synagogue Wednesday night, as well as for setting a veterans memorial ablaze in December.

Brian Bocage, 21, was caught on surveillance footage torching the police car shortly before midnight in front of the Synagogue of Inverrary-Chabad at 6700 Northwest 44th Street, police said.

The unoccupied police car had been parked outside the place of worship after a vandalism incident there last week, police said. It was destroyed by the blaze.

Full footage here.

Broward Sheriff’s Office detectives said they arrested Bocage Thursday night for the Lauderhill arson attack as well as for setting fire to a veterans memorial in December in North Lauderdale.

On Dec. 3, BSO North Lauderdale deputies responded to Southwest 71st Avenue and Kimberly Boulevard regarding the earlier vandalism incident, according to BSO.

Deputies said they found surveillance video that showed a person lighting an object in fire, tossing it on the memorial, and setting it on fire shortly after 1 a.m.

Detectives with BSO’s Violent Crimes Unit conducted an extensive investigation and later determined the suspect posted his criminal activity on social media.

After identifying Bocage as the North Lauderdale arsonist, VCU detectives said they obtained a warrant for his arrest.

Shortly before 8 p.m. Thursday, BSO V.I.P.E.R. (Violence Intervention Proactive Enforcement Response) detectives located Bocage in the 4200 block of Inverrary Boulevard in Lauderhill and arrested him without incident, deputies said,

Bocage was taken to the BSO Public Safety Building, where he was interviewed by BSO VCU detectives regarding the memorial burning and by Lauderhill Police detectives about torching their marked patrol vehicle, deities said.

Bocage was arrested Thursday and booked into the Broward Main Jail on two counts of second-degree arson, one count of possessing or manufacturing a firebomb, and three counts of criminal mischief causing over $1,000 in damage, jail records show.

He was being held on a $160,500 bond Friday afternoon, the records show.

According to authorities, Bocage is the man seen in the video setting the car ablaze and running from the scene with the car fully engulfed in flames. The blaze was later extinguished and the gutted police cruiser towed away from the scene.

Bocage’s motive was not immediately clear.

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Author Profile

Kevin Deutsch

Kevin Deutsch is an award-winning journalist and author of two nonfiction books. He covers general assignment news and Jewish community issues for Talk Media. He has also worked as a staff writer at The Miami Times, the Rio Grande SUN, the New York Daily News, Newsday, The Miami Herald, The Palm Beach Post, The Riverdale Press, and Bronx Justice News.