Man Allegedly Tries to Light Neighbor's House on Fire, Claims He Saw a Ghost: Police

Police in Stockton, California, say a man was caught on doorbell surveillance video trying to light his neighbor’s home on fire — because he allegedly thought he saw a ghost, ABC7 reported.

Video last week captured the man dousing gallons of diesel fuel onto the porch then using a lighter to ignite the fluid, though his attempt to light to porch on fire was unsuccessful. Authorities said the fire didn’t start because he used diesel fuel, not gasoline.

“It’s like, what was he thinking? What was he trying to do? Obviously, he was trying to kill us all,”  said the homeowner, who only wanted to be identified as Sandi. “I went into a panic. I ran down the stairs, I woke everybody up, I called the cops,” she told KOVR.

At the time, Sandi was home sleeping with her two young sons. An alert from the security company on her phone woke her up.

Once Sandi saw the video, she recognized the man as her neighbor.

“I’ve just never had any problems or any issues, I just don’t understand why. Why were we targeted?”

Cops have identified the man as 38-year-old Cuong Pham. He has been arrested and charged with attempted homicide and arson. It wasn't immediately clear if Pham had an attorney to speak for him.

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