A helpless man stumbled upon a motorbike engulfed in flames while walking home, only to discover in horror that it was his own vehicle. On Thursday, April 3, just before 10pm, Rishi Prem noticed a blaze emanating from Birkenhead Park and rushed to investigate.
He found an object adjacent to some trees consumed by intense orange flames and promptly called the fire service, assisting in extinguishing the fire.
Rishi, 29, told the Liverpool Echo that the fire’s proximity to trees meant that if he hadn’t intervened, “it could have spread and Birkenhead Park could have been on fire”. Firefighters later informed him that the object set alight was a motorbike, prompting Rishi, an avid motorcyclist, to check on his own bike.
However, he soon discovered it was missing from his property.
Returning to the park, Rishi was devastated to confirm that the burnt motorbike was indeed his, as the number plate retrieved by firefighters matched his bike’s. He subsequently contacted his landlord to obtain CCTV footage from outside his home, which appeared to show a group of masked individuals stealing his green 2023 Kawasaki bike at around 8:30pm that evening while Rishi was at work.
CCTV footage captured five masked males, dressed predominantly in black with one in a blue coat, approaching before disappearing from the camera’s view.
Later, three additional figures reappear on-screen with the larger group. They’re caught seemingly stealing a motorbike, witnessed pushing it away and fleeing down the road.
Rishi, the victim of the alleged theft, after reviewing the CCTV, reported the crime to authorities. Describing the event as “so depressing”, he told the ECHO, “I don’t know why anyone would set something on fire, I don’t know if it is for fun. I love my motorbike, I have been on so many rides.”
The Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service attended to a blaze at Birkenhead Park on the night of April 3, confirming their prompt response with a fire engine arriving at 10.01pm, nine minutes post call-out.
Firefighters discovered one motorbike ablaze and extinguished it using buckets of water, leaving the site by 10.25pm. A spokesperson for the Merseyside Police stated that an “investigation was ongoing” concerning the incident.
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