Someone up above ( sorry not to give credit, but I cannot find it right now), said they feel that the car was not the target for the fire. They feel that a device was thrown at the house and it rolled under the car.
I agree with that.
This perp is very brave and maybe stupid. He knows there are cameras all over.
If he walked with the device, I would think a camera caught it.
Throwing something out of a car window , I feel is difficult. You don't have enough room to make a good toss.
So, it may have been two people. A driver and a thrower,
I think a car would be caught on camera as well.
Starting a car on fire in not that easy. You can google the reasons and if it is not on purpose, it is a failure in the system of the car, such as electrical.
BBM: Brave and Stupid..BINGO! I also believe the firebug was on foot, like a close neighbor who is young, brave and stupid and wasn't aware of the video set-ups some neighbors had. The car pict's weren't released until after the firebug incident. Even if they were aware of the vid surveillance, they could have hopped fences in the backyards...just saying.
On another note: Cars that "linger" sometimes are for little drug drop offs or pick ups. Happens in the nicest neighborhoods.