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'Kids just set it on fire,' 911 caller says of Delray Beach train station

Police release 911 calls
Posted at 9:20 AM, Mar 04, 2020
and last updated 2020-03-04 11:46:49-05

DELRAY BEACH, Fla. — Police have released the 911 calls made after the old Delray Beach train station was set on fire last week.

"The old Delray train station right next to (Interstate) 95 is on fire," a man told the 911 dispatcher in one of the recordings obtained Tuesday. "Kids just set it on fire."

Delray Beach police said four students at Atlantic Community High School were arrested after the Feb. 25 fire.

They face arson and burglary charges. WPTV is not identifying the students because they are 14 to 17 years old.

Police said the teens skipped school and one of them – a 14-year-old in an Army ROTC uniform – bought a lighter at a Dollar Store that they used to set the fire, igniting a Dunkin' Donuts bag.

"Some guys here just told me that they saw some kids running away from it," the 911 caller said.

Surveillance video from a nearby Chevron gas station showed the teenagers running from the abandoned train station and hiding in a bathroom at the gas station for about 20 minutes.