Zvezdara Volvo Torched, Fire Spreads to Second Car

An unknown man doused an expensive Volvo with a flammable liquid and set it on fire in Zvezdara on the night of October 14-15, and the flames spread to another vehicle parked right next to it. Security cameras on nearby buildings recorded the attack, and police are searching for the perpetrator.

What happened in Zvezdara

The fire broke out about an hour after midnight. Only the burned-out shell of the Volvo remains, and soot marks are visible on the asphalt and the surrounding buildings. The street where it happened has not been disclosed.

Firefighters responded to the scene. Kurir reports that, despite their intervention, the fire caused major material damage. Telegraf, whose reporters reached the scene, does not give a figure for the damage.

What the cameras recorded

According to both outlets, the footage shows a man walking up to the parked Volvo, dousing it with a flammable liquid, setting it alight and running away. Telegraf writes that he fled in an unknown direction.

Police patrols and investigators carried out an on-site inspection. Kurir reports that surveillance camera footage has been seized. The man’s identity has not been established, and Telegraf writes that police are working to track him down.

What a neighbor says

One resident of that part of Zvezdara, who did not give a name, told Telegraf what he heard and saw:

Suddenly it started cracking and booming, it sounded like a bomb! When I looked out the window, I saw a huge blaze, everything in front of it was burning. The fire spread to the other car at the speed of light, it was a horrifying sight. We didn’t dare go near until the firefighters arrived.

The neighbor places the fire just after midnight. Both outlets, citing camera footage, say the man approached the vehicle about an hour after midnight, so the exact moment of the arson differs depending on the source.

The owner and the motive

According to unofficial information, both destroyed cars belong to the owner of a local auto repair shop. His name has not been published, and it has not been confirmed that the attack was aimed at him.

The motive is unknown. Kurir reports that the investigation is expected to establish, among other things, whether it was a warning or a personal score to settle. For now that is only a question being asked, not a conclusion police have reached.

Neither source mentions any injuries. Neither quotes an official police statement on the incident, so it remains open whether proceedings have been started and for which criminal offense. Until the perpetrator is identified and prosecutors take a position, he can only be described as the unknown man seen in the footage.