Yesterday it happened again in Zaandam: around four o’clock in the morning two cars went up in flames in the Prinsenstraat. They are not the first cars in the city to have to believe this this year. The police now speak of a ‘striking pattern’, but are we dealing with a pyromaniac?
Eight times before, the fire brigade in Zaandam had to turn out this year for car fires, in which a total of eleven cars were destroyed or damaged. Police are not yet able to say whether it is the same perpetrator. The investigation is currently still in progress. The police do indicate that a ‘series’ of car fires can be recognized, which could indicate a pyromaniac.
Lonely
It is not clear whether it is also a pyromaniac. Forensic psychologist Ernst Ameling explains: “It is likely, but you can only be sure if he is caught. His motives are important here. Pyromaniacs do not set fires to endanger people’s lives or for political purposes, but have internal motivations.”
View all car fires in Zaandam in the past year on the map below.
These ‘internal motivations’ can be quite different, says Ameling: “Usually it is a cry to become famous, to get attention that they never had. Socially they are usually not strong, they are often lonely and have no friends. That’s why they want to cause a commotion so that it’s all about them.”
Near
According to Ameling, pyromaniacs are often not the smartest. “I’m not making that up myself, statistics show this,” he explains. “The perpetrators are often object-loyal. In this case, they are cars, because they easily catch fire. In a dry summer, these can also be conifers. In addition, they often operate in their own neighborhood, or in a neighborhood they know well. They do this because they know the escape routes well.”
Whether this also applies to the perpetrator in Zaandam is still being investigated by the police. That makes no difference to the cars. Although the fire brigade responded quickly yesterday, the two cars were very seriously damaged. Police are calling for witnesses to get in touch.
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