Crime & Public Safety
Riviera Beach man arrested after surveillance shows two small fires on business vehicles
Riviera Beach police say a man was arrested after surveillance video allegedly showed him lighting two separate fires on vehicles and near landscaping at a business property in Riviera Beach. An employee reported that someone previously barred from the site entered after hours and intentionally set items on fire, prompting the response.
According to a Riviera Beach Police Department probable-cause affidavit, officers reviewed surveillance footage that identified Haytham Khalafallah, 51. The affidavit states officers had encountered Khalafallah the day before the reported incident and that a sergeant personally trespassed him from the property. Despite that warning, the video allegedly shows Khalafallah returning through a side gate, gathering materials and placing them on the hood of a business-owned Toyota Camry before igniting them.
The affidavit further alleges Khalafallah removed plastic vehicle parts, wood and other materials from a business-owned Toyota Tacoma and started a second, larger fire near the property line by lighting a dead palm frond, causing the blaze to grow. Two people who noticed the fire later worked to put it out, and police listed about $1,000 in damage to the Camry and nearby shrubbery.
Riviera Beach police arrested Khalafallah and charged him with second-degree arson and trespass after warning. He was taken into custody on Oct. 1 and transported to the Palm Beach County Jail, according to the affidavit. The facts above are those alleged in the police probable-cause affidavit; those allegations have been the basis for the current criminal charges and custody status.
All individuals accused of a crime are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
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All individuals mentioned in criminal allegations are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.