Man found dead inside burned car near Philadelphia International Airport; fire ruled arson

Fire officials say a blaze that killed a man inside a car near Philadelphia International Airport early Sunday was deliberately set, according to several Philadelphia news outlets.

The burning vehicle was on the 8400 block of Enterprise Avenue, just beyond the edge of airport property. NBC10 said the car sat in a lot belonging to Pendergast Safety Company, opposite the airport, and reported the date as Sunday, October 18, 2026.

Accounts of the timing varied. CBS Philadelphia said police, firefighters and medics arrived before 2 a.m. NBC10, citing police, put the start of the fire shortly after 2 a.m. 6abc said its crew reached the location at about 1:45 a.m., and FOX 29 reported that emergency responders got the call at roughly 2:30 a.m. The outlets also differed on the neighborhood, with 6abc calling it Southwest Philadelphia and NBC10 calling it South Philadelphia.

Flames were still visible when officers got there, CBS Philadelphia reported, and the man was declared dead on site. Footage aired by 6abc showed a Hyundai reduced to a blackened frame.

Officials told FOX 29 the car exploded. A worker at a nearby business told NBC10 he heard a noise resembling a blast.

Authorities have not released the man's name. 6abc reported that police said the remains were too badly burned to recognize, and that the medical examiner will work to identify him and establish a cause of death. Police told NBC10 it was not yet known how he died.

Three outlets, CBS Philadelphia, FOX 29 and NBC10, reported that the city Fire Marshal's Office has ruled the fire an arson. 6abc used more tentative language, saying officials were treating the case as a possible arson.

Homicide detectives with Philadelphia police took part in the investigation, FOX 29 reported. According to NBC10, police and fire marshal staff examined the car and the area around it for hours, with detectives using flashlights, a dog brought in by the Fire Marshal's Office, and the police Crime Scene Unit on hand.

None of the outlets reported any arrests or suspects. FOX 29 said officials had not yet disclosed the man's identity or the circumstances that led to the fire.

Compiled by True News from reporting by CBS Philadelphia, 6abc Action News, FOX 29 Philadelphia and NBC10 Philadelphia. Each outlet's original story is linked below.

Originally published by True News: https://truenews.bagleyenterprises.net/stories/222