DETROIT (WXYZ) — "I thank God my kids and I weren't in the car," said Sophia Zamora as she stood next to her 2009 Chrysler Sebring. The vehicle was destroyed Sunday night when investigators say it appears someone used an accelerant to set it on fire.
"I've racked my head a million times. I'm 45 about to be 46 years old. I don't have any enemies. I don't have anybody that I argue or fight with. I don't have a baby daddy drama. I'm a widow. So I am kind of at a loss of where does this coming from," Sophia said.
Video from a nearby surveillance camera shows someone walking down the sidewalk in front of the family's home in Southwest Detroit. When the person gets about 15 feet past Sophia's car, they stop and turn back around.
"He shows no fear in the video," said Sophia as she described the video that she provided to 7 Action News. "It's almost as if he just looks just to make sure, at these houses, that there's nobody out. He does a turn around and comes straight to my car."
The person's actions are somewhat obscured by the leaves of a nearby tree, but it's clear they are doing something on the driver's side of Sophia's car.
Seconds later, there's a blast that destroyed the car Sophia uses to take her young daughter with special needs to appointments.
"Somebody could have got killed," she said, thankful that she and her children were not near the vehicle or the person who seemed to be targeting her vehicle.
"Why would you do it? Why?" said Sophia, knowing what the person destroyed was her only means of transportation which she desperately needs to get her three-year-old daughter, who has special needs, to appointments.
Sophia only has no-fault insurance which would have covered their injuries in a crash, but it does not pay for repairs to her old car, even if it's destroyed by a vandal.
"I worked hard to get this car this car," she said. "It might look like it's nothing to everybody else, but it was my car. I paid for this."
Sophia said her job with the state as an aid to seniors doesn't pay a lot and she's unable to purchase another car at this time.
She has set up a fundraising account in hopes of raising enough money to buy another vehicle.
As for their security, the landlord has now installed lights and cameras on the family's house, which brings some comfort to Sophia and her children.
"It's light up like Fourth of July, like Christmas."
If you have any information on the arson, you're urged to contact the Detroit Fire Department's Arson tip line at 313-628-2900.
