Teenager charged after allegedly firebombing Western Sydney barber shop twice, set himself alight
A teenager has been charged after allegedly attempting to set fire to a Western Sydney barber shop on two occasions, one of which resulted in him setting himself alight.
The 16-year-old was arrested at about 10.20am on Tuesday following investigations into two incidents at Merrylands Barber Shop in Merrylands on May 8 and 9.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Teen sets himself alight during alleged arson attack.
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CCTV footage from the first incident shows the teen dressed in black and carrying a red jerry can as he approaches the shop just after 4am.
He is seen smashing the window, pouring accelerant through the opening, and then igniting it with a lighter.
The fire immediately flared up, setting the teen on fire.
He is then seen rolling on the ground in an attempt to extinguish the flames and fled the scene before emergency services arrived.
Firefighters put out the blaze that caused moderate damage to the building.
But the same barber shop was again targeted the following morning, at about 3.10am, with another fire quickly brought under control by fire crews.
Around the same time, police attempted to stop a Hyundai i30 with allegedly cloned number plates on Sherwood Rd in Merrylands West.
The driver failed to stop so police gave chase through Merrylands West, Woodpark, and Wentworthville before ending the pursuit due to safety concerns.
The allegedly stolen vehicle was located in Glenwood on May 23, with jerry cans containing accelerant and bleach found inside.
Following investigations, the 16-year-old was arrested at about 10.20am on Tuesday.
Police allege he was behind both fires at the barber shop, which is believed to have links to a high-profile organised criminal network.
He has been charged with two counts of aggravated break and enter to commit a serious indictable offence; destroying or damaging property valued between $5000 and $15,000; driving a conveyance taken without the owner’s consent; driving a motor vehicle during a disqualification period; two counts of being carried in a conveyance taken without the owner’s consent; and two counts of failing to disclose the driver’s or another passenger’s identity.
He was refused bail to appear in a children’s court the same day, and investigations remain ongoing.
Originally published on 7NEWS
