News

Yet another car torched overnight this time at Loch

Yet another car has been torched and another stolen, this time in Loch, while in Wonthaggi, another tradie ute window has been smashed and tools stolen.

by Michael Giles

Published October 06, 2026

Yet another car torched overnight this time at Loch — **This car torched outside the school driveway in Loch in the early hours of Tuesday morning is just the latest in a shocking spree of such incidents across the South Gippsland and Bass Coast region.**

WHAT is going on??!! Yet another car was torched overnight.

This time in Roy Street at Loch.

A local resident has posted on social media that the incident happened at 2.15am on Tuesday morning.

“If any of you were wondering about the noises at 2.15am, there was a car set alight outside our house on Roy Street,” said the Loch resident.

“My car was nicked and seen speeding away. This was right outside the school driveway, if anyone wonders what has happened or sees the scorch marks.

“Thanks to the local firies and coppers from Loch and Wonthaggi who attended.”

It was just the latest in an alarming spate of smashed, stolen, driven-off and burnt-out cars across South Gippsland and Bass Coast over the past few weeks leaving police scrambling to keep pace with the rising carnage.

**Fire brigades and police were called to dose and investigate this stolen car, torched in a residential driveway in Poowong on Sunday night.**

On Sunday night, the Poowong Fire Brigade, supported by Loch Fire Brigade and Victoria Police, was called to car fire in Nyora Road, Poowong.

“Crews arrived to find a vehicle well alight in a residential driveway,” said a spokesperson for Poowong CFA.

“The fire was quickly brought under control, and the scene was made safe before the vehicle was towed away,” they said.

Circumstances surrounding the incident are in the hand of police, but it is understood the car was not owned by the residents and was simply dumped and torched there overnight.

Also, shortly after 1am on Monday in Korumburra, police were called to the scene of a smash in Station Street where a stolen car had been crashed into the kerb.

It has been reported that while police were dealing with that matter, a car with no plates and no lights on was seen in the onsite workers’ carpark at Burra Foods where it is believed would-be offenders were trying to steal another car.

**Window smashed in tradie ute, tools and first-aid kit stolen in Griffiths Street Wonthaggi last Friday.**

Tradie utes targeted

It’s not only cars being stolen and torched, thieves are also targeting tradie utes across the region in the search for a valuable stash of tools and equipment.

There was another of these thefts in the early hours of Tuesday morning in Wonthaggi.

“Just a heads up, North View Drive 5.45 am work car broken into. Jimmied the locked canopy door open. Tools stolen.”

Two days earlier, residents of Worthy Street in Leongatha alerted police to thieves trying to break into toolboxes, while on Monday morning, in the Woolworths carpark, an allegedly stolen car was being towed away.

It follows a shocking run of cars thefts, vehicles being torched and thefts from tradie utes from Phillip Island to Mirboo North.

**This burnt-out car still sits beside Kardella-Fairbank Road at Kardella after being dumped and torched there last week.**

Local police posted on the Bass Coast Police Service Area Eyewatch page on Thursday, October 1 about an incident they attended at Kardella near Korumburra.

“At approximately 11.30am this morning, Leongatha Police assisted Korumburra Fire Brigade with a vehicle fire in Kardella Road involving a white Toyota Camry sedan,” they said.

“As you can see from the images, the vehicle was fully destroyed. Checks on the vehicle confirmed it was a stolen vehicle from outside the area.

“Investigations continue to determine the circumstances surrounding the theft of the motor vehicle, and the fire.”

If anyone has any information that may assist investigators, please contact Senior Constable Troy Bryan at the Leongatha Police on 5662 2285 or email troy.bryan@police.vic.gov.au

There have been numerous other incidents, including one stolen Toyota Landcruiser with false plates driven off after stealing petrol from a Wonthaggi petrol station on Wonthaggi Thursday, October 1 at about 5.30pm.

They include, but may not be limited to:

11.30am Thursday, October 1 - Kardella (near Korumburra) white Toyota Camry sedan burnt out (featured on Bass Coast Eyewatch page).
Wednesday, September 30 – car burnt out at Darlimurla (near Mirboo North)
Valley View Parade, Korumburra - car burnt out (no date)
Thursday, October 1 - Rhyll on Phillip Island - car burnt out
Woolamai-Turnbull Road, Woolamai - car burnt out last week.
Wonthaggi Sunday, September 27 - car burn out
Landcruiser stolen in Poweltt Street Inverloch, Thursday night/Friday am October 2, 2026
Window smashed in tradie ute, tools and first-aid kit stolen in Griffiths Street Wonthaggi Thursday pm/Friday am, October 1/2, 2026
Window smashed in vehicle in Gordon Street Wonthaggi Wednesday/Thursday, Sept 30/Oct 1
Petrol drive-off Shell Wonthaggi Thursday, October 1 at 5.30pm, reportedly in a stolen Landcruiser with false plates.
Also reports of four burnout cars in the Leongatha area in the past week.

There was, however, a relatively happy ending to the theft of a Toyota Camry from Korumburra in recent days, found dumped at the Lang Lang roundabout with police taking several kids aged 13-16 into custody.

Police have been contacted for comment on all these incidents.

If you have information about any of these incidents, you can make a report to the Crime Stoppers Victoria website or by phoning 1800 333 000.

Take your own precautions

As has been stated before, certain makes and models of cars are being targeted, and the owners of these cars are urged to take their own precautions in an effort to reduce the chance of falling victim to these activities.

According to the RACV the following makes of cars were most targeted in the year ending March 31, 2026: