Lafayette fire investigators have arrested a Lafayette man for intentionally setting fire to a vehicle on Ridge Road on December 16, 2018.
Nineteen-year-old Jason Mejia was arrested for allegedly transporting the vehicle to the 400 block of Ridge Road and setting it on fire.
He is facing a simple arson charge and was booked in the Lafayette Parish Correctional Center.
The fire, officials say, was connected to the reported carjacking on December 14, 2018, that allegedly took place at 100 McDonald Street. During the course of the investigation, it was determined that the carjacking did not occur.
The fire department says that the alleged victim of the carjacking fabricated the incident. The victim and Mejia were involved in a physical altercation. Mejia allegedly removed the vehicle from the location of the disturbance and set fire to it.
The investigation is ongoing to identify other possible individuals involved in the fire.
