Sunderland AFC fan's car targeted in shocking firework attack during game

Dave Murray has been parking his car in the same spot for over 20 years during Sunderland games at the Stadium of Light.

Dave Murray, 61, left his Suzuki Wagon R in Farringdon Row, near the city centre, as he went to watch Sunderland AFC play at the Stadium of Light on Tuesday.

When he returned after the match against Bolton Wanderers, the father-of-five and granddad-of-two discovered his car had been targeted in a destructive attack.

The car is a write-off after the attack, which took place on Tuesday.

A window was smashed before a firework was thrown into the vehicle, which then exploded inside, rendering the car a write-off.

Police are investigating the incident, which took place between 7.30pm and 9.04pm.

Mr Murray said: “I’ve been parking my car there since the Stadium of Light opened, and usually about 300 others do the same.

“I went to the match on Tuesday and as I was coming back, I could see the police were around my car.

“It was a real mess, as the firework had burnt all of the inside of the car, blew the windows out, and damaged the roof, seats and floor.

“The car is a write-off, but it’s scary to think about how much worse it could have been.

“If my car had gone up in flames, then dozens of others could have as well.”

Mr Murray, who is a semi-retired youth worker from Somerset Road, Springwell, Sunderland, and still runs music workshops in the city as well as sings himself, has questioned why anyone would carry out such an attack

He added: “The strangest thing was that they didn’t take anything from the car.

“I just don’t know what they were thinking.

“They potentially put themselves in danger, as well as others.

“To play about with fireworks is such a mindless thing to do, and it seems like they just wanted to cause to destruction to whatever was in their way.

“My car just happened to be there, but it could have happened to anyone who was parked there.”

A spokesman for Northumbria Police said: “Between 7.30pm and 9.04pm on Tuesday, October 31, a car was damaged after the window was smashed and a firework set off inside.

“The incident happened on Farringdon Row in Sunderland.

“Inquiries are ongoing into the incident and any witnesses should ring Northumbria Police on 101, quoting reference 1225 311017, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”