Near Pattaya: A Yamaha Fino motorcycle was completely destroyed in a late-night fire under an overpass in Banglamung district, with police treating a mentally unstable man as the prime suspect.
At 12:16 a.m. on Sunday, September 6th, 2026, Police Lieutenant Chanachai Sanguansaksri, deputy investigator at Nong Prue Police Station, received a report of a motorcycle fire. The incident occurred on the roadside beneath the Pong overpass, near a Pong gas station.
Officers coordinated with volunteer rescue workers and Nong Prue municipal firefighters and rushed to the scene. They found a crowd of onlookers watching intense flames engulf the Yamaha Fino motorcycle. The bike, parked under a large tree by the road, was reduced to a blackened wreck.
A good Samaritan had earlier tried to douse the flames with a fire extinguisher but could not contain the blaze. Firefighters eventually brought the fire under control, but the motorcycle was already a total loss.
Mrs. Chantra Wattananoy, 47, the owner of the motorbike, told police that shortly before the fire she had stopped with her husband to use a restroom nearby and a man estimated to be between 45 and 55 years old pushed his own motorcycle to the area from an unknown location. He approached her and began complaining about his life problems before offering her “something bad.” Believing the man was not in his right mind, she left the stranger alone and went with her husband to the restroom.
When she returned a short time later, she saw flames consuming her bike. The suspect had already begun pushing his own motorcycle away from the scene. Her husband chased the man down and detained him until police arrived.
The detained man appeared mentally unstable and spoke in rambling, circular statements. Police took him into custody for questioning and drug testing.
Local residents later reviewed nearby CCTV footage, which captured only the sudden appearance of flames. Witnesses also reported hearing someone shout that they would burn the motorcycle moments before the fire broke out. The identity of the person who shouted remains unconfirmed.
Police said they are gathering evidence and will proceed with charges against the suspect