Flamethrower seized, man accused of vandalizing street in front of his Maryland home
By Kate Amara
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MILLERSVILLE, Maryland (WBAL) — A Glen Burnie man faces charges over allegedly using a flamethrower to leave a permanent message on the surface of his own street.
Craig McQuin, 35, is the subject of a criminal summons on accusations he torched the words “Trump” and “USA” on Nov. 15 into a 20-foot-long stretch of asphalt in front of his house on Hickory Hollow Drive in the Creekside Village community, according to charging documents obtained by 11 News.
Marylanders are banned by state law from possessing, buying or using flamethrowers.
“This the first of my recollection of us charging anybody with a flamethrower,” Anne Arundel County Fire Capt. Jenny Macallair told 11 News. “Flamethrowers are extremely dangerous, which is why we prohibit them in the state of Maryland and why most states do have some sort of regulations when it comes to them. They can throw fire up to 30 feet, and oftentimes, it’s with a flammable liquid.”
Investigators said an unidentified flammable liquid was used in this case to write the words on the asphalt before being ignited with the flamethrower. Fire investigators seized the device from McQuin’s home.
Investigators told 11 News that the case began when the homeowner’s association called police about the vandalism and a video posted on McQuin’s wife’s TikTok account that allegedly showed the homeowner setting his street on fire.
“The video was seen by multiple people in the neighborhood, and that was what led to the investigators to be on his wife’s TikTok. They now have custody of the video as part of the evidence of the case,” Macallair told 11 News.
McQuin was in the middle of putting up Christmas decorations Tuesday morning when 11 News knocked on his door. The family offered no comment.
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