A father of three from Walkden has spoken of his terror after his Audi e-tron was allegedly torched by hooded yobs while his family slept. Dominic, who has asked for his full name not to be published, said the vehicle was targeted in the early hours of May 31.
Three figures were seen on CCTV in the area before the fire started at around 3.44am, according to the 33-year-old. Dominic, his wife, and their three children were asleep inside their home at the time.
A neighbour raised the alarm and firefighters raced to the scene. 'It burnt out the 12 volt battery, which had completely melted,' Dominic said. 'This could have escalated really, really badly. Everyone could have been trapped upstairs.'
'I'm just very thankful that my neighbour was up at that time and saw when the incident happened and woke us up,' he added. Speaking about the people seen in CCTV footage, he said: 'They came a few times from 1.20am on foot and went all the way down to the end of the street and then left, then came back like 20 minutes later with a bicycle and then left again.'
Dominic said numerous clips have been shared with Greater Manchester Police. 'My dash cam captured around 18 pieces of footage,' he added.
Family's ordeal
The incident came the day before Dominic's wife was due to undergo surgery to remove a tumour from her foot. She had to get a taxi to Salford Royal Hospital.
Dominic added: 'I'm just baffled. Why would someone do such a thing? I am terrified because of my family. If it was just me living here I don't think I would be as bothered as I am, but the street I live on is full of families.'
'Everyone has young kids. Everyone is shocked and everyone is on high alert. My son is very scared and I really feel bad for him because he came out asking "why did someone set our car on fire?" I didn't know how to answer.'
Police investigation
A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Police said: 'We were called to reports of a vehicle on fire at 3:55am on 31 May. Our investigation remains ongoing, and officers have carried out a number of enquiries in the area, including speaking with residents and reviewing available CCTV opportunities.'
'We understand the concerns raised and would encourage anyone who may have relevant footage or information which has not yet been shared with police to come forward, as this can be vital in progressing enquiries.'
You can report via 101 or by using the LiveChat function at gmp.police.uk. Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
GMP have also said that enquiries remain ongoing and no arrests have been made.
