Two men accused of lighting a Christmas tree on fire on New Year's Eve are facing charges after they were turned in by their bartender. The fire quickly spread and damaged the iconic buoy at Southernmost Point in Key West, Florida.
The two men, 21-year-old Skylar Rae Jacobson and 22-year-old David Perkins were identified by a local bartender who recognized them from surveillance camera footage released by the police.
When Cameron Briody, who works at a bar named Irish Kevin's, saw the footage on the news, he immediately recognized the pair because they didn't leave a tip after ordering three drinks on New Year's Eve.
The bar's general manager, Daylin Starks, checked security cameras and was able to find out when the two men paid their tab. Using the time stamp on the video, they matched up the credit card receipts and identified the two men.
"We could follow them the whole time, in and out of the bar," Starks told the Associated Press. "We could see them getting rejected from all the girls they were trying to hit on."
Starks turned over the footage and their names to the police, who issued a warrant for their arrest. Perkins turned himself in and was charged with criminal mischief with damages over $1,000. Jacobson is facing similar charges and is expected to turn himself in.
Workers have since repainted and repaired the iconic buoy, which marks the southernmost point in the United States.