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On the night of July 5, just before 01:45, someone tried to set fire to the house of the mayor of Sandefjord, Bjørn Ole Gleditsch. The mayor came home in a taxi and saw that there were flames between the garage and his house.
– Besides seeing the flames, we smell a strong smell of gasoline, says Gleditsch to Åsted Norway.
Two unsolved fires
On August 5, exactly one month after the mayor’s fire, police were notified of a new fire near the Coop Xtra grocery store in Pindlse. The store is located about 3.5 kilometers from the mayor’s house. This time, the incident was caught on a surveillance camera.
– A person set fire to a cooling unit near the delivery of goods to the store. This area tends to be closed, but it was open because some artisans should have access. Therefore, the assailant could enter directly, explains the head of the Sandefjord Police Station, Brian Jacobsen.
The head of the police station points out that this incident did not necessarily have to do with the mayor’s fire.
– But we cannot rule out that there is a connection until we get the unit’s cigarette lighter. Therefore, we ask people to get in touch if they know anything about this fire.
Looking for person
The video, shown on Åsted Norway on Monday at 9.40pm, shows a person entering the closed area. The person in question is wearing blue shoes, a Helly Hansen waterproof jacket and a black backpack.
The perpetrator is seen removing the bag and then turning the unit on. So it’s 5:25 in the morning. You see clear flames when the person leaves the place. The person is caught on several cameras and the head of the police station has great faith that someone will recognize the arsonist.
– We hope someone can recognize this person in clothes or in the way he walks, says the chief of the Åsted Norway police station.
WANTED: Police hope that someone will recognize the person who was captured by surveillance cameras. Photo: screenshot
Put out the flames
The mayor, Bjørn Ole Gleditsch, says there were big contrasts between coming from good company and being greeted by flames at home.
– First of all, I was a little sad. “I’ve experienced vandalism here before, but for someone to go that far, it’s sad for democracy,” he says.
Only the moose dog Jotun was at home. Only luck could have kept the house from burning.
– It is squeezed between the panel and the wall. The flames were coming from the bottom up, but because it was dense, it didn’t catch fire, Gleditsch explains.
SAD: The mayor of Sandefjord, Bjørn Ole Gleditsch, says he was sad when he saw what had happened. You have now installed video surveillance in your home. Photo: Espen Storsve
Investigated as arson
The Sandefjord Police take the incident very seriously and are investigating what resources they have.
– I think this is a voluntary act. And that this is serious. Going out at night and setting fire to a residential house where people can be expected to lie inside and sleep. We are investigating it as a homicidal arson, says Sandefjord Police Station Manager Brian Jacobsen.
The police have spent about 200 hours of surveillance video. They have collected videos from eight different gas stations.
– We have investigated whether it is possible to find someone who has filled gasoline in a jug, and who may be linked to the fire. We couldn’t find that, says Jacobsen.
SOT: There were clear marks from the flames on the wall when the police arrived at the scene. Photo: Police
He says they used police dogs the same night he burned to search for clues, but the dogs found nothing.
– It can indicate that the person who has done this has used the usual way to get home, he says.
In addition to being mayor for 17 years, Gleditsch owns shares in the Jotun family business. But Gleditsch doesn’t think his role as an entrepreneur is important in this case.
– It is more obvious to think that this is happening because I am mayor. Many decisions are made that do not necessarily follow the path of all the inhabitants. But this is what, hopefully, the police will have to find out, and it’s important that we all find out. For an explanation of why people are willing to go this far, no matter the reason, he says.
