Police are asking the public to help identify a man suspected of setting fire to a Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) bus on Saturday, May 30. Reports say the man boards a JUTC bus in downtown Kingston, destined for Spanish Town, and stays on the vehicle briefly after passengers exit at the Spanish Town lay-by in St. Catherine. Authorities say he ignites an object in front of the seat where he was sitting before disembarking. A short time later, the bus catches fire and is engulfed in flames.
JUTC also announces it is offering a J$1 million reward for information that leads to the identification of the individual. The company says the incident destroys a Yutong compressed natural gas (CNG) bus and that the replacement value is about US$200,000. JUTC says surveillance footage shows the suspect igniting an item in the rear of the bus before leaving and that it believes the same person was responsible for a similar arson incident involving a CNG bus at the Half-Way Tree Transportation Centre in 2024. JUTC says no passengers are on board during the incidents and that investigators include the Jamaica Constabulary Force and the Jamaica Fire Brigade. Police direct tips to the relevant investigative unit, the emergency number, or Crime Stop.
