$5,000 Reward Offered for Information on Hotchandani Arson Case

A 22-year-old construction worker from Sandhill, Manuel Anthony Moralez, has been arrested and charged with three counts of arson following an incident in which three vehicles belonging to the Hotchandani family were set on fire. The vehicles, parked on Princess Margaret Drive, were torched in the early hours of Sunday, December 22, 2024.

According to ACP Hilberto Romero, “Upon their arrival, they saw three vehicles engulfed in flames—an Escalade, an Audi, and a Chevy Silverado pickup truck. The fire department was called, and the fire was extinguished.”

The arsonists arrived by boat, but their actions were captured on surveillance footage, leading police to identify Moralez as a suspect. Authorities are still searching for the other two individuals involved. “Investigations show that three persons came to the area, poured a flammable substance on the vehicles, and lit them on fire,” Romero stated.

The total value of the vehicles is almost half a million dollars, with two fully insured and one with third-party insurance. Since the incident, a reward of $5,000 is being offered for information leading to the capture of the remaining suspects.

Police have not established a motive for the attack, and the investigation is ongoing.