Anna Good
A father from Texas is now raising funds on GoFundMe after his ex-girlfriend allegedly set his couch on fire, burning down his house, after thinking he was cheating on her.
In a statement from the Bexar County Sheriff’s office on November 22, they reported that Senaida Soto, 23, broke into Tommy Garay’s home on November 20, 2022, after she attempted to FaceTime Garay and a woman, who is a relative of the man, answered his phone instead. Soto assumed he was cheating on her and took out revenge instead of asking him.
Police and the fire department were notified around 1:45 am on November 20 of the arson, and have video proof of Soto lighting the couch inside Garay’s house on fire after stealing several items.
The fire spread through the house and caused upwards of $50,000 of damage.
Soto also reportedly texted Garay while the house was still on fire with the message, “I hope your house is okay.” She was arrested two days later on November 22 and is facing felony charges of burglary and arson.
Garay’s GoFundMe fundraiser has seen over $11.7k in donations thus far, and in the description, he wrote that he had only been in a relationship with Soto for a month when this occurred, and fortunately he and his little girl weren’t home with the arson occurred.
“On November 20, 2022 the house my 2 year old daughter and I lived in was burglarized/ vandalized and was set on fire by my ex girlfriend while I was away from my home. I called the fire department but unfortunately by the time they arrived everything I owned including my daughters toys, clothes, shoes, etc was damaged/lost in the fire,” Garay wrote on GoFundMe.
“This is such a devastating time for us, as this home, was the home my dad and I grew up in, this home has been part of my family for generations. The memories gone in a blink of an eye. I never would have imagined me being a victim of such crimes, as we had only been in a relationship for a month,” he said, adding, “this is very traumatizing, especially for my daughter, asking why we can’t we go home. I’m only asking for help because unfortunately my daughter and I need it, If you can help my daughter and I get back on our feet it would be greatly appreciated . Thank you!!”