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Man Sets Rental Car On Fire While Trying to Rid It Of Bedbugs
By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published Apr 15, 2015
Modified Apr 8, 2018
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By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published Apr 15, 2015
Modified Apr 8, 2018
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A Long Island man managed to set three cars on fire and give himself second-degree burns while attempting to rid his rental vehicle of bedbugs by dousing it in rubbing alcohol. Then, apparently, he lit a cigarette. No one pays attention during fire safety films.
Scott Kemery, 44, reportedly created the aforementioned pyrotechnics yesterday evening, while in the parking lot of a King Kullen Supermarket in Eastport. Kemery told police he was convinced the car, which was from Florida, was filled with bedbugs, and believed he could kill them with rubbing alcohol. Scientific research on the toxicity of alcohol on bugs is mixed, but what rubbing alcohol will definitely do is burn pretty quickly when in contact with fire, a fact Kemery apparently forgot when he lit up.
Thankfully, Kemery managed to escape the car, and was treated for his burns at Stony Brook University Hospital. It's unclear whether the alleged bedbugs survived the blaze, but let this be a lesson to you all about setting foot in Florida.
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