NSW Police charge Merrylands teenage boy with alleged arson attack on Sydney barber shop

Shock footage has emerged of the moment an alleged teen arsonist accidentally set himself on fire while attacking a barber shop.

Shock footage has emerged of the moment an alleged teen arsonist set himself on fire while attacking a barber shop in Sydney last month.

CCTV shows the boy catching fire after appearing to light up the shop.

He is dressed in all black and uses a red jerry can to fuel the blaze.

Footage shows him rolling in bushes to extinguish the fire before fleeing the scene.

Emergency services responded to the incident at the Merrylands barber shop on May 8 just after 4am following reports of the fire.

The blaze was brought under control by NSW Fire and Rescue NSW, however the building was damaged in the blaze.

The teenager is believed to have fled in a silver Hyundai i30, which had been pursued earlier that night in a chase across Sydney’s western suburbs.

The clumsy alleged arsonist set himself alight. Picture: Supplied

Police allege the barber shop has links to a high profile organised crime network.

The incident was investigated by Taskforce Falcon – an operation focused on suppressing violent crime in Sydney’s

metropolitan areas – who seized the allegedly stolen Hyundai.

Police searched the vehicle and found jerry cans full of accelerant and bleach.

The police arrested a 16-year-old boy just after 10am on Tuesday and he is now facing arson charges.

Investigations remain ongoing.

Originally published as NSW Police charge Merrylands teenage boy with alleged arson attack on Sydney barber shop