An alleged arsonist terrorising homeowners in Joburg's wealthy northern suburbs is becoming increasingly brazen, with a top criminal profiler saying that with every fire he sets, the chances of someone dying increases.
Elderly Houghton resident Risto Andjelopolj is still in hospital after he was assaulted and locked in before his home was set alight three weeks ago.
“Risto’s not doing too well,'” his son Jovan Andjelopolj told the Sunday Times this week. “He’s still on a ventilator and he still cannot speak. If my dad dies, this is murder.”
The suspected arsonist, who on two separate occasions has been caught on CCTV snacking on fruit stolen from the homes, appears to be linked to at least a dozen similar incidents. He struck again this week when he broke into a home in Oaklands where an elderly couple was asleep.
The prowler walked around the downstairs area, ate some strawberries and set fire to the house before leaving through the front door, locking up behind him.
Neighbours who helped the couple escape said they had to force the gate open because the wiring had melted and they were unable to immediately try to put the fire out because the garden hose had been cut and the tap connector removed.
There is growing concern at the seemingly slow pace of the police investigation.
Despite Bramley station commander Col Owen King confirming three weeks ago that a team had been put together to investigate reports of arson, police have been silent since then.
Repeated efforts to get comment on the investigation were unsuccessful, with King referring queries to provincial police spokesperson Lt-Col Mavela Masondo, who did not respond.
Investigative forensic psychologist and independent profiler Dr Gérard Labuschagne, former head of the SAPS investigative psychology section, told the Sunday Times that while he has been contacted by private companies and security officials looking into the case, he is not aware that the police have started drawing up a profile.
Crime intelligence should have picked this up and ... fast-tracked all the forensic evidence for correlation. This is not rocket science
— Dr Gérard Labuschagne, former head of SAPS investigative psychology
“I’ve been in touch with my old unit. I know that they have sent a letter to the general of provincial investigations expressing their concern and offering to help draw up a profile. They have received no feedback,” he said.
Labuschagne believes the arsonist will not stop of his own accord.
“If the arsonist is not caught, he will strike again. The chances of collateral damage — fires spreading to other properties, victims getting hurt and even people dying — is increasingly likely.
“You need to centralise the investigation and put all the related dockets together and have them looked at by people who understand the nature of the beast. It means asking the police to be efficient.
“Crime intelligence should have picked this up and already determined the time of day the suspect is active, have an idea how he operates and they should have fast-tracked all the forensic evidence for correlation. This is not rocket science.”
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The string of fires has been in news headlines for almost a month after Facebook user Shelley Browner first posted about her fears that “a lone arsonist” was active in Hyde Park, Illovo and Dunkeld and had started 13 blazes in the past year. Officials initially denied that a serial offender was at work.
Labuschagne said the number of cases, the geographical area and the way in which the person operated suggested looking at it as a series.
“If it’s all just electrical faults, then it is a very unusual spate. If it is a case of fires being set to fake insurance claims or cover up other crimes, such a high number of incidents in such a small area is extremely unlikely and bears looking at further.
“There is every reason to believe the cases are linked.”
The guy is a pyromaniac and needs to be caught
— Advocate Stanley Pinkus SC
Advocate Stanley Pincus SC, who lives next door to the Oakland house that burnt down on Monday, said: “The guy is a pyromaniac and needs to be caught. We’ve got pictures and video footage of him pulling down his mask, like he knows he’s being seen and he’s just playing a game.”
Pincus, like other neighbours, confirmed that the man had been prowling the area the night before he struck, disabling security systems and triggering false alarms.
He said a ladder had been left against an upstairs window and a pot plant was broken at one house, while someone cut the security beams at another house in the same street, collapsed the alarm system and set fire to the curtains in what was seen as a first failed attempt.
* Wahl Bartmann, CEO of Fidelity, is running a tip-off line - 083-939-0300 - for anyone who has information relating to the events and has posted a R100,000 reward for details that lead to a successful arrest.
* Non-profit security organisation Community Action Protection has asked people to report any suspicious activity to them on 0861-227-227.
— Reward offered
After that he moved on to his latest target.
“It was about 3.30am when we were woken by my son. He said he could hear our neighbour screaming frantically. We went onto our outside upstairs patio and saw her house was burning. Immediately it was pandemonium,” Pincus said.
“It’s terribly disturbing. We have had to get counsellors out for everybody.”
A shaken neighbour of another torched house expressed a lack of confidence in the police.
“If there’s a problem, I call security. At least I know they are taking this seriously and they are investigating things properly.”
Another victim — who asked not to be named because of the high profile nature of his work — echoed the frustrations felt by many.
“I don’t know why they can’t catch the guy. The police are completely incompetent. The security companies are all acting in silos and nobody is telling us what’s being done. How close are they to finding out who is doing this? Why is there no effort to put out pictures and information on what we know?
“This guy is out there — he eats somewhere, he stays somewhere, people know him. It can’t be difficult.”
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