ATLANTA – Two Atlanta firefighters are facing arson charges after investigators accused them of conspiring to intentionally set a car on fire in an alleged attempt to collect insurance money.
What we know:
Atlanta Firefighter Alvin Cox and his supervisor, Fire Captain Adrian Strickland, were both arrested following a months-long investigation by fire department officials. Authorities say the pair — both assigned to Fire Station 10 on Boulevard — orchestrated the April 2023 burning of a 2014 Hyundai Elantra.
Cox was taken into custody last week and charged with arson. Investigators allege he asked Strickland to set the vehicle ablaze. The burned-out car was discovered on Thomasville Boulevard near Fulton Bridge in southeast Atlanta, a location where officials say abandoned vehicles are often found.
Cox initially told investigators he and his wife drove separate cars to meet for dinner and drinks at Harold’s Chicken and Ice Bar on April 12, 2023. According to a warrant, he claimed he parked his Elantra three blocks away at 71 Hillard Street, then rode home with his wife in preparation for an international trip to Aruba the next day. When he returned, Cox said, the vehicle was missing and he assumed it had been stolen.
However, investigators say Cox’s account began to unravel. They reported no sightings of any of Cox’s four vehicles on the Atlanta Police Department’s Video Integration Camera System or tag readers near the area where he claimed to have parked.
Fire investigators soon noticed suspicious behavior involving Strickland. Department records showed Strickland accessed incident reports related to Cox’s car 14 times. Phone records revealed multiple calls between the two firefighters that coincided with key moments in the investigation, including before and after both men were interviewed by department officials.
Cellphone data placed Strickland in the area of the fire — near Fulton Bridge — at 10:01 p.m. the same night the vehicle was discovered burning.
An affidavit from fire investigators concludes that Cox enlisted his captain to help carry out the arson.
What they’re saying:
The Atlanta Fire Department issued a brief statement saying, “This matter is currently the subject of an open criminal investigation. We will not be commenting at this time.”
Cox’s attorney, Jacoby Hudson, said his client will be cleared. “We will prove his innocence beyond a reasonable doubt,” Hudson said.
Attorney Kevin Franks, representing Strickland, did not respond to a request for comment.
The Source: This information is based on reporting from FOX 5 Atlanta and public records, including arrest affidavits, investigative findings from the Atlanta Fire Department, and statements from attorneys involved in the case.
