NJ man who threw Molotov cocktail at patrol car wanted to go to jail: Police

A New Jersey man who threw a Molotov cocktail against a Gloucester City police cruiser “wanted to go to jail,” police said.

Jose E. Rodriguez, 28, a resident of South Sussex Street, faces charges stemming from a Saturday night incident in which authorities said he lit a Molotov cocktail in a police parking lot and smashed it against a patrol car.

According to authorities, Rodriguez walked into the Gloucester City police headquarters parking area around 8:17 p.m., ignited the Molotov cocktail and remained standing in the parking lot as officers extinguished the blaze, which caused minor damage to a 2015 Ford Explorer.

When police asked Rodriguez if he saw who started the blaze, authorities said he responded that he did it because he wanted to go to jail.

Rodriguez, who was being held in Camden County Jail after failing to post $100,000 bail, was charged with aggravated arson, weapon possession and criminal mischief, according to police.