SOUTH DAYTONA, Fla. -- A South Daytona man is now in custody after police say he called his neighbor a racial slur and set his car on fire.

• Man allegedly calls neighbor slur, sets care on fire
• Jospeh Minor, 56, charged w/ arson, criminal mischief

Joseph Minor, 56, is charged with arson and criminal mischief in connection to the Sunday incident, according to a South Daytona Police arrest report.

Police say they responded to the parking lot of 1910 S. Palmetto Avenue after receiving a call from a woman who said a man blew up her son’s car.

When the officer arrived, he said he saw the front of a 2002 four-door Mercury engulfed in flames, as well as a thick cloud of smoke.

The owner of the car in flames told police that he was washing and waxing his car when Minor, who is his neighbor, started a verbal altercation and allegedly told the man “his days were numbered” along with calling the man a racial slur.

The man told police that he and his girlfriend went into his apartment when 10 minutes later, they heard a boom. When the man looked outside he saw his car was on fire and Minor allegedly walked away from the vehicle.

Nearby witnesses were able to identify Minor as the person reportedly found walking away from the vehicle.

Minor was arrested and transported to the South Daytona Police Department for questioning, where he said he was trying to protect his father and said that he didn’t feel like the area of his residence was safe.

He is being held at the Volusia County Branch Jail.