GARDAÍ are hunting a man who was recorded setting fire to a car in Limerick as people begged him to stop.
Video footage of a masked man spraying the car with accelerant as it went alight was widely shared on social media.
The man is seen on camera, believed to be recording the horrifying scene on a mobile phone, standing and watching the vehicle burn.
The man is then seen in the footage walking calmly toward the black SUV-style car and spraying it with accelerant, fuelling the flames.
A number of people watching the attack unfolding in broad daylight can be heard in footage expressing their shock.
One woman tells the man to stop and points to a nearby house, telling him “there are kids in there”.
Another woman can be heard telling another person to “stay away from him”.
The man, whose face is covered, was dressed in a dark grey hooded jacket, black pants, and was carrying a rucksack.
The footage also shows the man apparently recording the blaze on a mobile phone before he flees the scene on a motorbike.
A source said what was “especially concerning” about the arson attack is that the masked man remained at the scene watching the fire and apparently recording the attack.
Gardaí said they were investigating an arson attack on Friday August 1 last.
A Garda spokeswoman said that “Gardaí received a report of an incident of criminal damage by fire that occurred in the Roxboro Road area of Limerick City on Friday, 1st August 2025 at approximately 8pm”.
“A vehicle has been reported as damaged. No injuries have been reported at this time.”
The Garda spokeswoman added that “investigations are ongoing”.