The family, who lives in a house on the Swimming Pool Road in Geldrop, was woken up Monday night by a car fire and an explosion at the front door. They are terrified, says the father who prefers not to be named. “We were sleeping and our daughters, ages 4 and 6, didn’t know what was happening.”
After the explosion, the parents and two daughters fled outside as quickly as possible. “We heard a loud bang at the front door, so we went out the back. We didn’t know exactly what caused the bang. It could also have been one of the tires of the car,” says the father.
The car parked in the driveway was completely engulfed in flames. Firefighters quickly had the flames under control. The front door and windows of the house were damaged. “We don’t know yet how big the further damage is. The police will find out. We took the children to grandma’s.
“Children are traumatized for life”
The man is clearly upset. “The immaterial damage is greater. The children are super scared. They are traumatized for life. Very annoying.”
Police believe someone deliberately started the fire. The resident says he doesn’t know who could be behind it. “No idea. Nothing happened, no threats. I really don’t know where this could come from. There are no business conflicts. If there were, they should address me about it, but not like this. Our children were sleeping here. Act normal.”
The occupant of the house is said to have been involved in money laundering investigations in the past. The police raided it years ago. “I’ve never been convicted of that,” he says. “The truth has come out. I’m trying to get on with my life. I don’t want to say anything else about it.”
When asked, the Public Prosecution Service says that the case to which the resident refers is a ‘very extensive and complicated file’. “It will probably take a longer time before the case can be dealt with substantively at a hearing. It is not yet clear whether he will be prosecuted.”
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