Police release new footage of serial arsonist who lit AFL player's house on fireGlenn Valencich
7Sport
Published: 27/01/2021
Updated: 27 January 2021 6:45 PM
Police are still hunting a man who lit an AFL star’s house on fire in grand final week last year, linking the alleged arsonist to multiple suspicious fires in recent months.
Richmond defender Nick Vlastuin’s under-construction property in Torquay was damaged on October 23, the day before he was due to play off for the premiership in Brisbane.
Vlastuin told 7NEWS last week the fire was thought to be “random” but Victoria Police now believe it may be connected to nine subsequent attacks in the area.
CCTV footage obtained by 7NEWS in October showed a man walk to the front door of Vlastuin’s house, lighting the entrance on fire with a jerry can.
Police are now asking for help to identify the alleged serial arsonist, releasing new vision of another fire in the area
The footage showed a man throwing a lit object towards a property before sprinting away from the scene.
“Police are seeking public assistance to identify a man after a series of arsons in Torquay since Friday, 23 October 2020,” police said.
“Since mid-October, ten fires have been lit in the areas surrounding Grandview Road. Police believe a man was seen using a liquid to light fires in Grandview Road and Central Avenue.
“Police believe the offender lit another fire on the morning of Wednesday, 27 January 2021.
“Police have released images of a man whom they believe may be able to assist in their inquiries.”
Vlastuin spoke of the Torquay area’s ongoing troubles when he told 7NEWS Melbourne last week that he felt “lucky” the damage was limited.
The 26-year-old, who was concussed in the Tigers’ grand final victory the day after the fire, said he had been working to fix the house since returning from Queensland.
“I didn’t get told about it till about lunch time that day (of the fire), when they’d sorted everything out,” Vlastuin said.
“But I had some real good mates who replaced the door and made the whole place safe again for me.
“It was a bit of a whirlwind, it took my mind off the game - not that I can really remember it - then I came back (home) to that, so I’ve been trying to work that out and fix it.
“But they still haven’t caught the guy so they think it’s just random because there’s been a couple of fires in the area. It is what it is, we were just lucky it didn’t burn down the whole house.”
https://7news.com.au/sport/afl/police-release-new-footage-of-serial-arsonist-who-lit-afl-players-house-on-fire-c-2040112
