- Published:
- Thursday 8 October 2026 at 2:30 pm
Detectives from the Arson and Explosives Squad have this afternoon charged two teenage boys after two cars were firebombed and a boy was located with life-threatening burns in Taylors Hill on Monday morning.
With assistance from Melbourne Divisional Response Unit and the VIPER Taskforce, search warrants were executed in the Merri-bek and Hume areas early this morning.
A 16-year-old boy from the Merri-Bek area, and two boys from the Hume area, a 16-year-old and a 15-year-old, were all taken into custody.
A 16-year-old boy from the Merri-bek area has been charged with conduct endangering life, recklessly cause serious injury in circumstances of gross violence, arson, theft of motor vehicle and commit indictable offence whilst on bail.
A 16-year-old boy from the Hume area has been charged with conduct endangering life, recklessly cause serious injury in circumstances of gross violence, arson and theft of motor vehicle.
The duo will appear before a children’s court today.
A 15-year-old boy from the Hume area was released and is expected to be charged on summons.
This morning’s activity follows an incident where emergency services responded to reports that two cars parked on Woolwich Way had been set alight around 5.12am on Monday, 5 October.
Officers arrived and located two vehicles engulfed in flames, along with a 13-year-old boy with severe burns nearby.
It is believed the injured teen had attempted to flee in a white Hyundai Tucson, before the vehicle crashed into bushes.
The Tucson is believed to have been stolen from Hoppers Crossing on 4 October.
The boy suffered burns to over 90% of his body and remains in hospital in a critical condition.
Media Unit
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Updated