The car of a prominent western Sydney mayor was destroyed in a firebombing incident in the early hours of Saturday morning.
Cumberland Council mayor Ola Hamed’s Mercedes hatchback was engulfed in flames on a Merrylands street just after 3am.
Hamed has been mayor of the council that stretches from Rookwood to Girraween via Merrylands since 2024. She was elected to the council as a Labor candidate when it was created as a result of amalgamations in 2017. She did not respond to requests for comment.
Two other cars parked in front of and behind Hamed’s vehicle were also damaged. A spokesperson for NSW Police said officers were called to the street at about 3.10am.
“On arrival, officers attached to Cumberland Police Area Command located a Mercedes hatchback well alight,” they said.
“Fire and Rescue NSW attended and extinguished the blaze; however, the Mercedes was destroyed and two others, parked nearby, were also damaged.
“A crime scene was established and the Mercedes was seized for forensic examination.
“There is an investigation under way to find those responsible. Police are speaking with the owners, who are assisting with inquiries.”
The arson incident came a few hours before two separate shootings in Sydney’s south-west.
Shots were fired at an empty home in Fairmount Street, Merrylands, at about 7.30am on Saturday morning. At about 8.15am police also received reports of shots being fired at a home on Woodstock Street in Granville. There is no suggestion the shootings are connected to the firebombing.
Last month a teenage boy was charged with 16 offences after a car was set alight on Haven Street, Merrylands.
Hamed has overseen a particularly cantankerous council term, which has regularly made headlines for arguments over councillor behaviour and culture war topics. There is no indication that anyone connected to the council was involved in the fire.
The Sydney Morning Herald has a bureau in the heart of Parramatta. Email parramatta@smh.com.au with news tips.
Anthony Segaert is the Parramatta bureau chief at The Sydney Morning Herald. He was previously an urban affairs reporter.Connect via X or email.From our partners
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