A manhunt has been launched for an unmasked ‘hero’ who was allegedly caught on security footage setting fire to a mobile traffic camera.
The camera trailer was parked on Malcomson Street in Mackay, Queensland, when it was set on fire by a man at around 10.30pm on Saturday.
Footage from the trailer’s security camera shows the middle-aged white man cautiously approaching from nearby bushes before allegedly accelerating.
Emergency services rushed to the scene and extinguished the fire, but the trailer was destroyed, Queensland Police confirmed.
The footage was released by police on Tuesday and quickly hit social media, where the alleged arsonist was hailed as the ‘Australian equivalent of Batman’.
The man, wearing a black shirt and pants, and carrying a red backpack, stands behind a bush and waits for the road to clear before rushing to the caravan.
He then appears to pull out a bottle of clear liquid, rumored to be an accelerant, and pours it over the trailer without noticing that he was looking almost directly into the security camera.
Detectives are calling on anyone who recognizes the man or has information about the incident to contact the police.
Social media users were divided over whether to call the man a hero, criminal or fool, with many not hiding their hatred of flashers.
“Not all heroes wear capes,” one of the man’s supporters wrote.
“No one betrays him, he is my hero,” wrote a second.
“Okay, who is this guy? I need to buy him a beer,” a third wrote.
“Give him a raise,” another anti-speed camera commenter interjected.
Queensland police have launched a manhunt for a middle-aged man who was caught on camera allegedly putting a traffic camera into accelerant before setting it on fire (pictured)
The unmasked man, described as middle-aged and white, was recorded on the camera’s security system stealthily approaching the caravan from a nearby bush before carrying out his plan.
One of the man’s opponents said he “made taxpayers pay thousands of dollars extra for a new one, while letting the camera take a good look at his face and getting himself jailed.”
“All he had to do was drive the speed limit and the camera wouldn’t have hurt him,” the user wrote.
One user said that while he is “not unhappy” with the man’s actions, he is confused about “why would you do this with your face exposed.”
Another added that the man was a ‘malaka’ (Greek slang for idiot) because he did not cover his face.
There are approximately 102 traffic camera trailers stationed in Queensland at any one time.
Their locations are determined by Queensland Police based on criteria that include the area’s history of accidents caused by speeding or other ‘high risk areas’.