A Homestead teenager who was severely burned after a Molotov cocktail was thrown through her family’s home window nearly a year ago is speaking out for the first time as authorities announce a fifth and final arrest in the case.
Caeley Alvarez, 17, spoke exclusively with CBS News Miami following the arrest of Daniel Valencia, 37, by the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office. Valencia is facing charges including attempted murder, arson, conspiracy to commit arson, and throwing a deadly missile.
The teenager, a student at Homestead High School, endured more than a dozen surgeries during months of hospitalization in critical condition at HCA Florida Kendall Hospital.
“This was hard for me to go through, but I am doing better. It is not perfect, but this was hard to have something like this and these burns,” Alvarez said. When asked how she has coped with her injuries, she added, “You just have to push forward and have hope. But for me, as a teenager, this was hard. I am just a kid. I hope there will be justice. This was not fair for a kid to have to go through this.”
Caeley’s father, Raul Alvarez, thanked the Sheriff’s Office for the arrests, saying, “I have said from day one, we are going to get you, and I am glad they got them.” He also extended gratitude to the staff at HCA Florida Kendall Hospital and those who assisted in fundraising efforts for his daughter.
Surveillance video captured the incident, which the Sheriff’s Office said stemmed from a dispute between Caeley’s cousin and an ex-boyfriend, who was one of the four other men previously arrested. Authorities confirmed Caeley was not the intended target of the attack.
