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ST. LOUIS — An arson investigation underway in Puerto Rico has local ties
to the St. Louis region.

A St. Peters woman is accused of setting three businesses on fire in
Puerto Rico. 5 On Your Side is not naming the woman because she has not officially been charged with a crime.

However, ATF confirmed to 5 On Your Side that federal officials executed a search warrant at the woman's home in St. Peters on Tuesday morning. Now-
viral video circulation on social media showed the woman being escorted
out of her home by federal officials.

"She’s not under arrest and what the video shows is her being removed, as
they executed a search warrant," ATF spokesperson Lisa Storey said. "ATF
is assisting authorities in Puerto Rico, as they continue their arson investigation.”

The fire burned down three businesses, including Luichy's Seaside Hotel, a restaurant/bar called Bar Marea, and a souvenir shop called Artes Juavia.

The property owner, Angel Marrero, oversees the hotel. He told 5 On Your
Side, a family rents out the space on the first floor to operate Bar Marea
and Artes Juavia.

The businesses were located in the Cabo Rojo community on the southwest
coast of Puerto Rico.

Bar Marea owners said in a Facebook post that this woman was drunk,
insulted customers, and assaulted a waitress before they asked her to
leave on Jan. 2. Police escorted her to her nearby Airbnb twice, but later
that night, there were reports of a fire at the businesses.

The post said about 50 people had to evacuate from the hotel.

Security footage assisted local police in identifying the woman and soon, social media posts went viral.

The crime caught the attention of St. Louis Alderwoman Daniela Velázquez,
who wrote a letter and encouraged action. As a proud Puerto Rican,
Velázquez wanted to speak up. The very same day the news broke, Velázquez
sent a letter to the woman's employer and urged the company to assist authorities.

HLK Agency responded and shared this on social media:

"We were shocked to learn about the events in Puerto Rico. We have not yet
been contacted by law enforcement in either Puerto Rico or Missouri but we
are ready to cooperate in their investigation if asked. After learning
about this on Friday afternoon, we chose to immediately place the employee
on suspension pending further information. We are outraged by this
senseless act and hope the authorities can address it in a timely
fashion."

"I think one of the messages I want to send is, Puerto Ricans wherever
we're at, we're here. We're going out to watch out for our people and for Latinos," Velázquez told 5 On Your Side. "Really, the audacity of any
tourist to come in, in the sense of entitlement, to destroy livelihoods
and businesses and walk away is what outrages people."

Velázquez also explained the woman's possible access to gasoline.

"A lot on the island has changed since Hurricane Maria and one of the
biggest issues has been the privatization of the power grid and also just
the rolling blackouts and the failure of the power grid. So the power grid actually failed on New Year's Eve, about 90% of the island was without
power. So to my understanding, the reason why there was a gas can at the
Airbnb was because the Airbnb owners were trying to make the person comfortable... they had a generator, which requires gas so there's a gas
tank at the Airbnb," she added.

Velázquez has been working with the St. Louis Puerto Rican Society and
board member Hector Vega. The organization has been running for 30 years, bringing together 200 members.

Vega said he grew up in Puerto Rico and spent most of his life there. It's
why this crime hits close to home.

"There's a lot of culture there in Cabo Rojo and we always like tourists
to come in and we like to teach them our way. When we're treated like this
and this is how we get basically paid for, it's very sad, because families
are affected, as we speak right now. That's why we're here calling a call
for action and demanding justice," Vega added.

Cabo Rojo's Vice Mayor, Ivette Rodríguez, said this is the first time this
has ever happened in their small town. She noted, tourism is how Cabo Rojo survives.

Rodríguez said, "I really hope this person of interest, we want her to
come here. We want this person to face justice. What happened to these
people, they lost a lot of money, people lost their employment and a sense
of security."

A Gofundme has raised more than $150,000 for the restaurant and souvenir
shop. It needed help to replace the lost equipment, such as machinery,
kitchen tools, and decorations, to rebuild and replenish the inventory,
cover legal expenses, and reopen the businesses and recover the jobs.

There's also a Gofundme for Marrero, who faces $500,000 in damages.

The St. Louis Puerto Rican Society is currently organizing a local
fundraiser to help the impacted businesses.

According to NBC News, authorities in Puerto Rico said they are close to charging a suspect in the incident, in which security cameras caught a
tourist suspected of setting the fire, Puerto Rico’s largest newspaper, El Nuevo Día, reported Tuesday. Charges could come as soon as this week or
next week, Lt. Miguel Rivera Sepúlveda of the Mayagüez Police Department’s explosives division told the newspaper.

https://www.ksdk.com/article/news/crime/puerto-rico-arson-business-fire- st-peters-woman-investigation-missouri/63-a074c0ee-0071-45ef-8cfb-
f23e914d370c

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