PASADENA — Police are seeking a would-be arsonist who doused a car with gasoline and left a lit cigarette on top of it early Friday.

Residents of an apartment in the 2100 block of East Villa Street were alerted about 4 a.m. by the strong scent of gasoline, Pasadena police Lt. Diego Torres said.

When the residents went outside to see what was going on, they discovered their vehicle had been doused in gasoline and a lit cigarette had been left on top in an apparent attempt to torch the car, the lieutenant said.

The gasoline did not ignite, he added.

“(The victims) don’t know why they would have been targeted, or if it was just random,” Torres said.

The investigation was ongoing.