50-year-old man detained by PJ in Esposende for setting fire to family member's car
The PJ has detained a 50-year-old suspect for setting fire to a family member's vehicle in Esposende in connection with an inheritance dispute. The defendant has a history of death threats against his brother-in-law and two sisters.
Suspect set fire to family member's car in inheritance dispute
The Judicial Police (PJ) has detained a 50-year-old man suspected of setting fire to a family member's vehicle and threatening to kill several family members in Esposende, following disagreements related to inheritance matters. The detention was announced this Thursday, according to CNN Portugal.
According to the PJ statement, on 5 August the defendant went to the family member's home and, using a lighter and an accelerant material, set fire to the vehicle parked on the public road. The fire completely consumed the car, causing "substantial damage, with risk of the flames spreading to the surrounding residential area".
The losses could have been greater had it not been for the immediate intervention of firefighters, who extinguished the flames "that were burning intensely", the statement reads.
The PJ emphasises that the defendant "acted in a spiral of violence, with a history of death threats against family members, namely his brother-in-law and two sisters". After the incident, the suspect fled to an undetermined location and was subsequently detained.
Presented at a first judicial interrogation, the following restraining measures were applied to him: fortnightly check-ins with police authorities, prohibition on contact with certain family members and prohibition on entering areas near their residences.
The man is charged with one count of arson involving a vehicle and two counts of making threats.
Source: CNN Portugal