New South Wales Police are continuing a manhunt after an armed man torched a stolen van at a Dulwich Hill apartment complex, threatened bystanders with a shotgun and vanished before riot squad officers could corner him.
The confrontation began shortly after 10:20 a.m. on Friday when emergency crews were called to a vehicle fire near Williams Parade. Residents told police they saw a man inside a van that had been stolen from the area a few days earlier. As he fled the building, witnesses said he aimed a shotgun at people nearby, then set the van alight. No shots were fired, but the threat was enough for police to declare an exclusion zone and lock down several streets in the inner west for about three hours.
How police responded
Superintendent Despa Fitzgerald said the operation drew tactical officers, police dogs, PolAir and local schools placed in lockout as a precaution. The perimeter lifted after the initial search failed to locate the suspect, but Fitzgerald stressed the man should be considered armed and dangerous.
Investigators released a CCTV still of a person wearing a dark jumper, black cap and white shoes. They have not publicly confirmed his identity. Police described the wanted man as Caucasian, about 20 years old, roughly 160 centimeters tall, slim build with shaggy brown hair.
What residents should do
Fitzgerald asked anyone who sees the man to call Triple Zero immediately rather than approach him. Detectives also want dashcam and mobile phone footage from the Williams Parade area on Friday morning. The stolen van link suggests the suspect may have been in the neighborhood for several days before the fire.
Inner-west community groups reported heavy police traffic through the afternoon, with officers in body armor visible on side streets after the formal lockdown ended. For households inside the earlier exclusion zone, the episode revived memories of other Sydney manhunts where suspects moved on foot through dense terrace housing.
Where the investigation stands
Charges have not yet been laid because the priority remains locating the firearm and the individual carrying it. Police have not said whether they believe the shotgun was loaded when witnesses were threatened, only that it was displayed in a way that constituted a serious public risk.
The case sits with NSW Police’s local area command with assistance from specialist firearms investigators. If captured, the man is likely to face allegations including arson, motor vehicle theft and serious weapons offenses; sentencing would depend on whether prosecutors treat the shotgun threats as an intent to intimidate or as preparation for violence.
Until an arrest is made, Dulwich Hill returns to normal routines with an unusual caveat: police are asking an entire slice of the inner west to treat a young man with a shotgun as an active fugitive, not a solved Friday morning disturbance.