A Florida woman was arrested for allegedly dumping nail polish remover on her roommate and setting him on fire because he threw out her spaghetti and meatballs, Bay News 9 reported on Wednesday.
An argument between Melissa Sellers, 33, and Carlos Ortiz Jr., 42, escalated to the point where Sellers lit Ortiz on fire with either a cigarette or lighter at around 2:30 a.m. Ines Causevic, Ortiz's friend that was with the group during the incident, said Ortiz had thrown out the woman's spaghetti and meatballs.
"She was setting little objects on fire, then that turned into pouring nail polish remover all over him, and then all of a sudden, the lighter sparked and he lit on fire," said Causevic told Bay News.
Causevic helped put the fire out by throwing water on Ortiz and helping him tear his shirt off.
Ortiz suffered burns to his face, chest and shoulders and was taken to the hospital in critical condition, Fox Tampa Bay reported.
Neighbors said Ortiz let Sellers stay with him whenever she needed it, and was always willing to do what he could for someone in need.
"I knew she was real stressed and she had some legal problems and things. She may have lost it but I can't imagine someone just wanting to hurt someone viciously like that. It's a horrible thing," Katherine Mudse told Tampa Bay.
At her first court appearance at Pinellas County Court, Sellers said there has been a misunderstanding and claims Ortiz burns were accidental.
Sellers has been charged with aggravated battery and is being held at the Pinellas County Jail on $10,000 bond.
