Homeless man sets fire inside Miami Beach police station lobby to escape cold, faces charges

A homeless man is facing charges after Miami Beach police say he set a small fire inside the lobby of the Miami Beach Police Department while trying to escape the cold.

Police say the incident happened in the early morning hours on Monday when Justo Monteagudo walked into the station carrying a white Burger King bag. According to arrest documents, Monteagudo asked officers if he could sit inside and eat his food to get out of the cold. Officers allowed him inside, where he sat on a bench in the lobby.

After finishing his meal, police say Monteagudo set the paper bag on fire inside the lobby. An officer quickly stepped on the burning bag and extinguished the flames before the fire could spread. No injuries were reported.

Authorities say Monteagudo is homeless.

Miami Beach Police Public Information Officer Christopher Bess says officers routinely offer shelter and resources to unhoused individuals during extreme weather conditions, including cold temperatures.

“One thing that we do in any inclement weather, whether that be a hurricane or cold temperatures, is emergency shelter placement,” Bess said. “We proactively go into the community and offer these individuals resources ahead of the temperatures. We did it last night, we did it a couple days ago. This individual refused and unfortunately was arrested for his unlawful acts.”

The incident comes just days after a separate case in Miami-Dade County, where a woman was arrested for allegedly dumping bottles of gasoline inside the lobby of the Northside police station. She is currently being held without bond.

Police say Monteagudo was taken to the hospital for evaluation and is expected to appear in court Tuesday.