Woman accused of shoplifting, left children in car that caught fire at Florida mall

In Seminole County, Florida, a woman was apprehended on Wednesday after her vehicle caught fire near the Oviedo Mall while two children were present, according to the local authorities. According to a report by Scruf Tuff News in Poughkeepsie, New York, on May 26 around noon, 24-year-old Alicia Moore parked her car in the Dillard’s parking lot at Oviedo Mall and left the children unattended inside while she entered the store.

While Moore was inside Dillard’s, security personnel observed her engaging in shoplifting activities with a male companion for approximately an hour, as stated in an affidavit. As per the affidavit, Moore attempted to leave the store with the stolen items, but upon witnessing her car, which had been reported stolen from St. Lucie County, engulfed in flames, she dropped the merchandise, according to the police.

Eyewitnesses at the mall noticed the fire and came to the aid of those inside the vehicle. Emergency responders arrived at the scene to find the car completely destroyed, and the children were promptly taken to Arnold Palmer Hospital for treatment of minor injuries, according to officials. Although the cause of the fire remains uncertain, authorities concluded that if Moore had not been negligent, the children would likely not have sustained any harm.

Subsequently, Moore was arrested by the Orlando Police Department on an unrelated warrant, but later taken into custody by the Oviedo police. She now faces charges of child neglect with great bodily harm and first-degree arson in connection with the Oviedo Mall incident. A bond of $40,000 has been set for these charges.