Man Beats Wife, Torches Her BMW in Vozdovac
A 40-year-old man is suspected of beating his wife and then dousing her BMW with fuel and setting it on fire outside their building in Belgrade's Vozdovac district. He was arrested shortly after.
Police arrested a man in Belgrade’s Vozdovac district on suspicion of beating his wife and then setting her car on fire outside their building. The suspect is identified as B.P., 40, and the injured woman as his common law wife, J.M., 33. The incident happened during the night, and the arrest followed a brief chase.
According to information released by the Ministry of Interior (MUP), it began with a violent argument inside the apartment. The suspect first physically attacked his wife and beat her. She immediately called the police, while he ran out of the building in the meantime.
Instead of leaving the area, B.P. soon came back and started throwing objects at the apartment window. He then turned his anger on the BMW, which belonged to his wife. He first kicked the car repeatedly, then doused it with fuel and set it on fire.
Cameras Captured the Whole Scene
Security cameras on nearby buildings recorded the moment the car was set alight. The footage shows a man approaching the vehicle with a canister in hand, moments before the car burst into flames. According to media reports on the case, that footage was among the evidence police used while searching for the suspect.
The injured woman was taken to a medical facility by ambulance, where doctors confirmed her injuries. Her current condition has not been disclosed.
Setting a car on fire in the middle of the night outside an apartment building also poses a safety risk to every resident, not just the couple whose apartment the conflict started in. Fire on a parked vehicle, especially one full of fuel, can spread to neighboring cars or to the building’s facade, which is why cases like this are prosecuted not only as domestic violence but also as endangering public safety.
What the Suspect Faces
Police tracked down and arrested B.P. after a brief chase, then took him to a police station. According to the MUP statement, he will face criminal charges on two counts: domestic violence and endangering public safety.
Both offenses carry prison sentences under Serbia’s Criminal Code. Until a final verdict, the suspect remains B.P., and a court will rule on his guilt. It has not been announced whether prosecutors have already requested pretrial detention.
Our newsroom has previously reported on violence in Vozdovac, when the Ministry of Interior called on victims of attacks in that part of Belgrade to come forward to police. This case shows how quickly domestic violence can escalate into a broader public safety threat, given that the burning car was parked in front of a building where other residents live, not only the suspect and the victim.
Serbia’s Law on the Prevention of Domestic Violence allows police to impose emergency measures immediately after a report is filed, including removing the abuser from the home and a temporary restraining order barring contact with the victim. Domestic violence cases can be reported to the police, the public prosecutor’s office, or a social welfare center, and help is also available through SOS hotlines for victims of violence run by organizations in several cities across Serbia.
The investigation into the case is ongoing. The competent prosecutor’s office is expected to comment in the coming days on further proceedings, including a decision on detention and a possible indictment.
Kurir reported the arrest on August 24, citing a police statement. The Ministry of Interior has not disclosed whether B.P. had previously been reported for domestic violence, nor whether the couple had children.
