A Florida man is facing murder charges after allegedly setting a car on fire while his wife was still inside the vehicle.
The incident happened on February 1 around 6:00 a.m. in the Hialeah Gardens area at Northwest 114th Terrace, NBC Miami reported Tuesday.
An explosion was heard and police said the body later found in the vehicle was burned beyond recognition. The incident was caught on neighbors’ doorbell cameras.
Cellphone footage shows the vehicle engulfed in flames as firefighters worked the scene, per WPLG:
“According to investigators, the blast was intentional. Noel Ruiz Mestre, 50, was arrested and charged with arson and murder, accused of using a homemade explosive device to kill his spouse,” the NBC report said.
An image shows the suspect in the case:
Florida husband allegedly killed wife with homemade bomb inside car after argument: cops https://t.co/Ben4jtDuft pic.twitter.com/pX55gf0lSU
— New York Post (@nypost) February 20, 2025
Prior to the blast and fire, the couple reportedly got into the car, drove away, then the car came to a halt. The pair reportedly argued and the man’s spouse tried to exit the vehicle without success.
The man got out of the car before allegedly setting off the blast, returned to his residence, and allegedly stabbed himself in the stomach. He later called 911 for help and was hospitalized.
The NBC article said he will eventually be taken to jail.
Miguel Hernandez told WPLG he was sleeping when he heard the explosion and screams, and during an interview with NBC, Hernandez said the victim was a nice person.
“She always says, hello, how are you, happy Christmas, happy Halloween,” he explained, adding that the man was “quiet” and “strange.”
The victim’s name has not yet been released to the public.
The U.S. Department of Justice defines domestic violence as “a pattern of abusive behavior in any relationship that is used by one partner to gain or maintain power and control over another intimate partner.”
“Domestic violence can be physical, sexual, emotional, economic, psychological, or technological actions or threats of actions or other patterns of coercive behavior that influence another person within an intimate partner relationship. This includes any behaviors that intimidate, manipulate, humiliate, isolate, frighten, terrorize, coerce, threaten, blame, hurt, injure, or wound someone,” the site reads.
