Man dies after car hits traffic signal

A 79-year-old man died yesterday after his car crashed into a traffic signal pole in Mililani.

The crash happened at 7:02 a.m. at Meheula Parkway and Kuahelani Avenue, police said.

The man’s 2004 Toyota Corolla hit a traffic light post, continued through the intersection and stopped against a second traffic light post at the intersection’s makai end, police said. Police said the man was taken in serious condition to a hospital, where he died.

The Honolulu Medical Examiner’s Office will perform an autopsy today to determine the cause of death. The man’s name was not disclosed. Police said the man was the fifth person to die in a traffic crash on Oahu this year, compared with three at this time in 2010.

Police open arson case in boat blaze

Fire Department investigators have determined that arson is to blame for a blaze that destroyed a shark tour boat early Friday in Haleiwa Harbor.

The case has now been turned over to the police investigators, who have opened an arson case, HPD spokeswoman Michelle Yu said.

The fire on the 30-foot North Shore Shark Adventures boat was reported at 12:40 a.m. Friday. Flames burned the bridge and cabin of the boat and the heat from the fire damaged a nearby vessel, fire Capt. Terry Seelig said.

Damage was estimated at $225,000.

North Shore Shark Adventures is one of two shark-tour operations working out of Haleiwa that have been the source of constant debate in recent years. Officials with the company could not be reached for comment.

Man sought in Waipahu bank robbery

Police are seeking a man who robbed the Waipahu Town Center branch of American Savings Bank at 2:39 p.m. yesterday.

Police said the man approached a teller, demanded money and then ran off in an unknown direction.

The suspect is described as in his 30s, between 5 feet 8 to 6 feet tall, 180 to 200 pounds, with short black hair, brown eyes, a black thin mustache and wearing a red baseball cap.

Faulty wire cited in fire at McDonald’s

An electrical short is the suspected cause of a fire that destroyed a sign on the roof of the McDonald’s restaurant yesterday morning in Keaau on the Big Island.

Firefighters were summoned to the restaurant at 16-565 Old Volcano Road at 12:44 a.m. They found the McDonald’s roof sign engulfed in flames. The loss of the sign was estimated at $25,000.

A manager at the restaurant said the fire did not hamper its operations yesterday morning. She declined to give any information about the damage.

Thieves hit businesses on Kauai

Kauai police are investigating several burglaries in Hanapepe that happened between 9 p.m. Sunday and 5:30 a.m. Monday.

Police said the thieves broke into Pika Photography, 4505 Puolo Road, and stole an undisclosed amount of jewelry. A second burglary occurred at Bobbie’s Restaurant, 3620 Hanapepe Road, where intruders took an undisclosed amount of money from the cash register.

A third burglary occurred minutes away at Jacqueline on Kauai, 3837 Hanapepe Road. Police said someone stole a laptop computer, Hawaiian jewelry and other items.

Police also discovered tampering of the exterior of Robert’s Jewelry in the same building as Jacqueline’s, but it was not known whether anything was stolen.

Description of the burglars was not immediately available. Police were continuing an investigation to determine whether the burglaries are related.

Anyone with information on the burglaries is asked to call Lt. Richard Rosa at 338-1831 or CrimeStoppers at 241-1887.