Teen Arrested for Arson at Famous Ashdod Fish Restaurant After Nighttime Fire

A well-known fish restaurant in Ashdod, Pescado, suffered significant damage after a nighttime arson incident. Around midnight, a 16-year-old boy approached the closed restaurant on an electric scooter, wearing gloves, a ski mask, and a motorcycle helmet, carrying a gasoline bottle. He smashed a glass window with a stone and fled the scene. About 30 minutes later, he returned, entered through the broken window, poured gasoline inside, and set the fire. The flames quickly engulfed furniture, papers, and fabrics, including the sleeve of the boy's pants, causing second- and third-degree burns to his left leg. Despite his injuries, he fled to an abandoned apartment in the city where he treated his burns. Firefighters arrived after a passerby reported the blaze and extinguished it. After five days in hiding, police located the boy, who was hospitalized at Assuta Medical Center before being taken into custody. The restaurant owners had to close for several days due to the damage. On Thursday, the teenager was charged in the Beersheba Juvenile District Court with arson, breaking and entering, and property damage.