A Mexican man sparked fears of terrorism in Brooklyn last night when his minivan containing a tank with 80 gallons of gasoline caught fire, cops said.
Dennis Alvareto, 35, was illegally reselling the gas out of his 350-gallon capacity van on McDonald Avenue near Avenue C in Kensington – almost directly in front of a Yeshiva and near a Mosque – when the fuel pump ignited at about 8:50 p.m., they said.
He yanked the hose out of the tank and drove away, then returned to put out the burning hose with a bucket of water, witnesses said.
Charges were pending against Alvareto last night.
Residents said the gas man was a real airhead.
“If the wrong person [knew he had all that gas in the van, he] could do some real damage,” said witness Giacomo Incannila. “They could come and steal it. Next thing you know, it would be like what happened in London.”