Bronx Boneheads Find 'Perfect' Spot to Light Cop Car on Fire

A couple of young men in the Bronx had the head start on their weekend ruined in the wee hours of Friday morning when cops rolled up on them and hit them with summonses for drinking in public and disorderly conduct. That prompted the pair to strike back at police with a vengeance, trading in their hooch for some genuine hard stuff, purchasing motor oil from a nearby BP gas station in Bedford Park. The two then poured the oil on a cop car in front and tossed a lit match on it. The problem for 18-year-old Michael Bower and 22-year-old Carlos Ortiz is that the BP wasn't the only station nearby—the 52nd Precinct was right across the street. A lieutenant heading in spotted the melting bumper and the two were promptly put on the wrong side of the law for the second time of the night. Police sources said to the News, "Braniacs these boys are not," and, "They are pretty stupid...They did it right on camera." The squad car ended up with only minor damage and a police source said that with a new paint job, it should be back on the streets in no time.