Cops: Man tried to torch his BMW

A Central Islip man tried to set fire to his BMW on the Ocean Parkway in Babylon Town because he wanted to escape monthly car payments, State Police said.

Alain Laguerre, 27, was charged with attempted arson and criminal possession of a weapon after State Police arrested him on the westbound shoulder of the parkway, near the Robert Moses Causeway, at about 5:30 a.m. Monday, police said.

Trooper Joseph Zawol was patrolling the area and saw Laguerre and a friend stopped on the shoulder, according to a news release.

The trooper also saw a container of gasoline, police said. The trooper said Laguerre admitted to trying to set his car on fire to get out from under a monthly car payment of $600, a payment he could no longer afford, the release said.

The trooper also found a collapsible baton in Laguerre's car, a 2006 BMW, accounting for the weapons charge, police said.

Laguerre's arraignment information was not immediately available.