The sound of a boat exploding woke up several Mendenhall Valley residents Thursday morning in a possible race-related crime, police said.
At 3:43 a.m. Thursday, the Juneau Police Department and Capital City Fire/Rescue were dispatched to the 3800 block of Riverside Drive where they found a 21-foot fiberglass Bayliner engulfed in flames and completely destroyed, according to a JPD press release.
CCFR Fire Marshal Dan Jager said because the boat was covered in fiberglass, a fuel source itself, it presented somewhat of a challenge but personnel were able to contain the fire in approximately 10 minutes. A nearby 1991 Ford pickup was also damaged, but not the boat trailer attached holding the boat. There were no reported injuries, according to a CCFR press release.
The Fire Marshal’s office is investigating this case as an arson and is working alongside JPD, Jager said.
An unknown person targeted the same boat on Wednesday and covered it with a slur against the race of a 47-year-old Juneau man who owns the boat, police said. It appears that an unknown person attempted to set the boat on fire on Wednesday, too, but Jager said his department is not positive that the two incidents are related. Only JPD responded to the initial incident and Jager said he doesn’t know what police saw on Wednesday indicating that a fire was attempted.
The boat owner was not home during the incident and has not been interviewed by CCFR yet, although the owner is in contact with JPD.
Police did not immediately respond to requests for more information about the investigation.
Authorities are asking anyone with information about the incident to contact police at 586-0600, or CCFR at 586-5322 or the Juneau Crime Line at juneaucrimeline.com immediately. Tipsters are guaranteed anonymity and can be rewarded. The investigation is ongoing.
• Contact reporter Paula Ann Solis at 523-2272 or paula.solis@juneauempire.com.
