On Christmas morning an unknown suspect played the role of an arsonist grinch. Three hours before sun rise that day, surveillance footage inside Selden's Sky Tan salon caught a man entering the building by using a hammer to punch a hole in the front window.
Once inside the tanning salon, the assailant created a trail of gasoline behind him while also dousing the beds. He finished his break-in by striking a match and lighting the business on fire. Sky Tan’s owner, John Rose, believes a competitor may be responsible for the fire.
“He had a trail that led up to the door, lit it like a fuse, and the whole thing just blew up right in his face,” Rose told CBS News.
Not only did the fire damage what was inside, it also damaged part of Cella Bagels which is adjacent to the building. According to the owner of the salon, which is located on Middle Country Road, he believes the blaze started at around 4 a.m.
The Salon had a message for its customers on the day of the blaze regarding payment.
“It is going to take sometime to repair & rebuild the salon, but we ask our customers to stay positive, give us their prayers, and cooperate with us,” Sky Tan’s Facebook page says. “We will do right by you if you have a tanning package with us, I will be contacting each and everyone one of my customers with a package.”
At the time of the blaze, Sky Tan had only been open for 40 days. Thankfully the fire had not completely destroyed the local business and most of the damage was due to smoke.
[Source: Sky Tan Facebook, CBS]