A woman who calls herself a 'fire goddess' allegedly tried to burn her friends alive as they slept in a car after a violent argument over anxiety medication. Nicole Najlis, 30, known online as 'Cosmic Nymph', faces charges of attempted murder and arson in Hesperia, California.
Police responded to reports of two parked cars on fire shortly after midnight on Tuesday. James Bahr, owner of the Honda SUV, said two friends were sleeping inside and only escaped after smelling gas. The vehicle contained a highly explosive propane tank, as James is a professional pyrotechnician with an explosives certificate. The tank exploded within 30 seconds, also igniting a second car.
All occupants fled unharmed. Witnesses saw Najlis fleeing the scene, and she was arrested nearby. James claimed Najlis knew about the explosives when she threw a match and lit the car on fire. The ordeal began earlier during a road trip from San Diego to Las Vegas with Najlis and three others.
James said: 'The trip was supposed to be to go to a music festival. She kept harassing me for my Xanax and I wouldn't give it to her. She got so upset that she punched me in the head while I was driving.' He pulled over at a truck stop and told her to get out, but she refused. He began moving her belongings out of the car.
'She started to move around some of my stuff. Then I smell gas and as soon as I said, what is that smell? she threw a match and lit the car on fire,' he told local media. 'I got the car two weeks ago, so it was sentimental. This is just insane.'
Najlis, who performs as a fire dancer and calls herself a 'fire goddess', has built a career around fire art. James said she was homeless and had just left an abusive relationship, so they invited her on the trip. During the road trip, they stopped in Tijuana for lunch, where Najlis left to drink at a friend's house before returning and becoming aggressive.
Najlis is due in court on Thursday with bail set at $1 million.
