Mechanic’s Chilling Confession: ‘My Plan Was to Burn Wife and Ex-Boss’

Carlos Diaz

A former Manhattan mechanic botched his plan to immolate his wife and his former boss — so he ended up trying to grill them separately, the villain revealed in detailed confessions released in court papers Wednesday.

"My plan was to gather them both in the same place and burn them alive," Carlos Diaz told detectives at the 34th Precinct the day of the Jan. 16 morning attack, according to the documents.

"I had the materials for my plan in my backpack," he added.

Diaz tried to get his estranged wife Cathy Zapata, 38, to meet him at the 10th Ave. garage in Inwood so he could set her and his former boss Gerson Marchena ablaze — but Zapata "suspected something" and refused to meet him at his old job.

So Diaz found her in a parking lot nearby.

"It wasn't going as I planned so I sprayed her with starting fluid in her face and everywhere and lit her with a blow torch, and she ran away," the Spanish-speaking Diaz, 35, brazenly told police.

Ten minutes after leaving his wife to burn he went to the shop and threw gasoline on Marchena, who bravely fought off the disgruntled ex-employee .

"Before he attacked me, I tried to light him on fire but the torch wouldn't light," said Diaz, who admitted to visiting the shop days prior to prepare.

Diaz told the News in an exclusive jail interview that he torched his wife to "teach her a lesson" after he saw wasted money on cosmetic touch-ups and other enhancements to attract men.

Diaz claimed he saw a nude photo his wife had sent to another man as his proof she had work done.

"I knew it was going to end up in a place like this but I didn't care," he added.

Zapata survived the attack, but was badly burned.

Prosecutors offered Diaz a 15-to-life sentence in exchange for a plea, but he declined, instead pleading not guilty to attempted murder and assault at his arraignment in Manhattan Supreme Court Wednesday.

Diaz’s lawyer declined to comment on his client’s possible defense.