Man charged over alleged arson attacks on Wickham gym

newy.com.au – Police have charged a 42-year-old man over two alleged arson attacks at Air Locker Newcastle in Wickham after a Strike Force Halesworth investigation into fires at the Albert Street gym in January. The man was arrested at a Salamander Bay home on Thursday, 5 March, taken to Nelson Bay Police Station and charged with three counts of damaging property by fire or explosion. He was refused bail to appear before Bail Division Court 2 on Thursday.

Emergency services were first called to the gym about 10pm on Tuesday, 20 January, when officers found a smashed front door and minor fire damage in the lobby. They were called back to the same premises about 11.50pm on Friday, 23 January, after reports of smoke coming from the building, with Fire and Rescue NSW extinguishing a ground-floor fire that caused significant damage.

The arrest came after detectives publicly linked the second fire to the earlier attack and appealed for help identifying two men seen near the gym around the time of the blaze. On 4 February, investigators also released CCTV of a light-coloured older-model Toyota Corolla hatchback seen in the area, and police later said a vehicle allegedly involved in the incidents was found burning in bushland at Salamander Bay on the same day.