Woman torches SUV with flamethrower, reports it stolen: police

A Barrington woman set her SUV on fire using a flamethrower, then reported it stolen, according to police.

Julie Gagne, 47, faces one felony count of arson and one count of filing a false police report, according to Barrington police.

At 10:28 p.m. on Nov. 10, Gagne used an X15 Flamethrower to set the 2016 Infiniti QX70 on fire in the 1500 block of South Grove Avenue in Barrington, police said. The X15 Flamethrower uses a mix of more than 3 gallons of fuel and napalm to throw flames as far as 50 feet.

The Infiniti was registered in Gagne’s name, police said. After the fire, she reported the SUV stolen to Schaumburg police, then later retracted that claim.

Gagne, a Barrington resident, turned herself in to Schaumburg police Tuesday, police said.

Gagne was given and I-bond and released from custody after appearing in court on Wednesday, according to the Cook County sheriff’s office.