'Sloppiest Arsonist' Sets Pants on Fire

Police in Australia say suspect had to strip after attempt to torch fast-food outlet
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 9, 2025 3:28 PM CST

Police in Australia are looking for a suspect who ended up singed and pantsless after an arson attempt early on Christmas Day. The man—dubbed "Australia's sloppiest arsonist" by 7news—was seen on CCTV with another man pouring flammable liquid on the front of a fast-food outlet in the Melbourne suburb of Doncaster East. "After setting the liquid alight, one of the offenders also succeeded in setting their pants on fire, forcing them to strip their burning garments as they fled," Victoria Police said in a Facebook post.

Video released by police shows one of the suspects with his pants engulfed in flames, the Guardian reports. He can be seen running with the burning pants caught on his ankle. Police said the suspects fled in a Toyota Tarago driven by a third suspect around 2:40am on Dec. 25. According to 7News, police are "hot on their heels." (More arson stories.)

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