Santa Rosa man targeted by arsonist who hit his home twice in one week

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Monday, January 13, 2020
Santa Rosa man targeted by arsonist who hit his home twice in one week
A Santa Rosa man says not once, but twice, someone has thrown explosive devices at his home. He fears "he'll probably be back."

SANTA ROSA, Calif. (KGO) -- At 1 am on Saturday an explosion followed by flames from a car woke up many in the Fenwick Drive neighborhood in Santa Rosa.

"Oh gosh. I was in bed and I heard a big boom. I looked out the window and I saw the flames between right at the car front and the garage," said neighbor Christina Sweeney.

Antonio Baca lives across the street and said, "I ran over there and jumped the fence and tried to wake the people up."

Inside the home was Bob Kennedy who says Saturday's incident was the second arson attempt to his property in the last week.

"Because they didn't finish the job he'll probably be back. He did, that morning at 1-o-clock throw another one. Same ammo, same material, hit the garage door, came down the concrete and burst underneath the car," said Kennedy.

Three days prior, Kennedy found a suspicious device on his front porch.

"I realized it was a Molotov cocktail. I opened up the lid and there was a rag and it smelled like gas. So, I went to my video recorder," said Kennedy.

Several cameras around his house caught a suspect throwing the device that landed on his roof.

"When you go for the roof. To me, that's attempted homicide by arson and I take it very seriously," said Kennedy.

Neighbors say they are concerned for their safety.

"Very concerning. I have my three grandchildren and my daughter that live here," said Sweeney.

In a statement to ABC7 News, the Santa Rosa Police Department said they have a description of Saturday's suspect.

"Based on surveillance video, the suspect appeared to be wearing a hooded sweatshirt or jacket, light-colored pants, athletic shoes, and a backpack. He was seen riding a mountain bicycle," the statement said.

While police search for the suspect, Kennedy bought more cameras and is staying up wondering who might be targeting him.

This case is being investigated by the Santa Rosa Police Property Crimes Investigation Team.