HOMESTEAD, Fla. – Two years after he was set on fire outside a Marathon bar, Jose Gonzalez is speaking to Local 10 News in hopes of preventing similar incidents.
Gonzalez was sleeping in his truck outside J.J.'s Doghouse on July 12, 2013, while two co-workers were drinking inside the bar.
He said he woke up to fire surrounding him. Gonzalez, whose clothes were on fire, was able to get out of the truck before people arrived to help him.
Surveillance video shows a man, identified by police as Stuart Collins, setting fire to Gonzalez's truck, which had propane tanks inside.
"He just set a truck on fire that wasn't even his," Gonzalez said. "He did it because he wanted to and, unfortunately I was inside and I was sleeping, and he destroys my life in an instant."
Gonzalez said he had no prior interaction with Collins before he set his truck on fire, causing Gonzalez to suffer third-degree burns throughout his body.
"This is a very hard a lengthy process," said Gonzalez. "It's desperate. I don't wish this upon anybody."
Gonzalez said he wants to encourage people to drink responsibly. He also wants bar and restaurant owners to take responsibility for ensuring the safety of their patrons when they are intoxicated.
Gonzalez is suing J.J.'s Doghouse because he said the bar had no security protocols in place on its property to ensure the safety of its customers.
"Because if there would have been security, this could have been avoided and I wouldn't be burnt," said Gonzalez.
Collins, who police said was highly intoxicated at the time, was arrested and is awaiting a June trial.
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