A vehicle was apparently deliberately torched near Nanaimo Regional General Hospital on Tuesday night, with police saying it's a suspicious incident. (submitted photo)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

under investigation

Suspicious Nanaimo vehicle fire potentially targets former political candidate

Feb 13, 2025 | 1:37 PM

NANAIMO — Local Mounties are investigating a suspicious vehicle fire involving the car of a former provincial political candidate.

Flames were seen coming from a grey Fiat 500 parked on Summerhill Pl., near Dufferin Cres. on Tuesday, Feb. 11 around 9:30 p.m.

Cst. Sherri Wade told NanaimoNewsNOW the fire was noticed by a pedestrian who phoned 911.

“None of the other cars on the street were damaged, so it wasn’t someone who was potentially trying to damage a lot of cars, or maybe they were and they were interrupted, we’re not sure.”

Police are treating the situation as suspicious.

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Wade said they’re hopeful dash cam footage from parked cars nearby, or homes along Summerhill Pl. or Dufferin Cres. recorded between 9 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., will help identify a suspect or suspects.

“It’s odd that it was the only car that was damaged, so that’s why we are looking into it more. Sometimes if someone wants to cause a lot of havoc, they will damage a lot of vehicles like we’ve had in the past, but this was the only car that we could see had any damage so we will be treating it as suspicious.”

Former B.C. Conservative candidate Gwen O’Mahony stated online the car belonged to her and believes the incident was targeted against her and her beliefs.

In recent days, O’Mahony has given interviews to online publications and podcasts regarding fires at churches in Canada over recent years.

She’s also been a public critic of federal and provincial government policy regarding drug addiction and social disorder.

The RCMP said it was “too early to say” whether the fire was deliberately set to target the vehicle’s owner.

O’Mahony ran in the newly created Nanaimo-Lantzville riding in the October election but lost to BC NDP candidate George Anderson.

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