After Bartholomew Dixon and his girlfriend broke up earlier in the day, the couple got into an argument about 7 p.m. that prompted Dixon to get into his Dodge Journey and crash into the back of the woman’s Nissan sedan outside his home, city police alleged. Dixon then poured gasoline from a canister and a bottle onto the woman’s car and attempted to light the car on fire, police alleged in an affidavit.

This all happened shortly after the woman refused to give Dixon a set of keys to the Nissan during a heated exchange inside the couple’s then home, police said. Dixon then stormed out, telling the woman he was “going to set the car on fire,” an officer wrote in the court document.

When officers arrived on the scene, Dixon, 39, of 959 Vine Ave., was “standing in front of the Nissan, attempting to light a cigarette and a piece of paper on fire,” the court document stated. Seeing the officers, Dixon put his hands up and began walking towards them, police said.

“You might as well just take me to jail,” he told them as he was being detained. His body smelled strongly of gasoline, police said.

Four juveniles inside a house just a few feet away witnessed Dixon pouring the gasoline on the vehicle, police said. One of the juveniles remarked “Won’t that make the car blow up? He must not care about us,” the court document stated.

Dixon was arraigned a short time later before District Judge William Solomon on charges of felony attempted arson, recklessly endangering another person and simple assault, and committed to the Lycoming County Prison in lieu of $75,000 bail.