Man high on drugs set fire to his apartment then ran over neighbors, police say

NORCROSS, Ga — Investigators believe the man responsible for the fire at the Bella Apartments in Norcross last week was hyped up on stimulants. Jonathan Vasquez, 27, put some clothes on the stove and turned the it on, investigators said.

That when police said Vasquez left the apartment to commit another crime and came back only to run over his neighbors with his truck.

Christine Chen Thorbourne and her daughter Sky are still recovering from last week’s chaos.

Sky said she does not have nightmares about the flames, it is Vasquez’s eyes that keep her up at night.

“I can’t sleep at night. All I see is his eyes bulging in front of me. him gripping the steering wheel so hard,” Sky Thorbourne said.

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The flames shot through the roof of the apartment and all the residents were warned to leave.

“We heard a knock at the door, and they said it was a fire,” Christine Thorbourne said.

Just when they thought they were out of danger, police said Vasquez came barreling down the sidewalk and hit them.

“I got hit straight on, I was in front of the car,” Sky Thorbourne said.

Vasquez confessed to starting the fire while on suspected stimulants, according to Gwinnett Fire investigators.

The warrants obtained by Channel 2′s Tony Thomas, accused Vasquez of leaving the fire, heading to a nearby store and stealing three buckets. Vasquez told investigators he needed the buckets to put out the fire.

Eileen Ayala, a witness to the fire, said Vasquez was yelling something about saying goodbye to his children. Investigators said the children were already gone with their mother after a fight the night before.

“When everything was happening, he ran upstairs into the fire,” Ayala said.

Vasquez was charged with arson and aggravated assault. The Red Cross is helping the victims of the fire.

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