Durham Police Say a Tow Truck Was Set on Fire in North Ajax, That Further Investigation Confirmed the Fire Was the Result of Arson, and Ask Anyone With Information to Contact the West Crime Team (October 5, 2026)
The Durham Regional Police Service published a release on Monday, October 5, 2026, saying that on Friday, October 2, 2026, at approximately 12:50 a.m., members of West Division responded to an unknown trouble call in north Ajax, where a tow truck had been set on fire. The release says fire services extinguished the fire, that further investigation confirmed the fire was the result of arson, and that no injuries have been reported to police. It names no suspect, reports no charge or arrest and carries no incident or occurrence number. It says the investigation remains ongoing and asks anyone with information to contact the West Crime Team. The fire is dated three days before the release.
What the Release Says Happened
The release is headed “Police Investigating After Vehicle Arson in Ajax,” and the force’s news index summarizes it with the line “Police are investigating after a vehicle was set on fire in Ajax.” The body specifies the vehicle: “Police were contacted after a tow truck was set on fire.”
The release says West Division members responded to an unknown trouble call at approximately 12:50 a.m. on October 2. It says fire services “attended the property and extinguished the fire,” without describing the property. The arson finding is worded “Further investigation confirmed the fire was the result of arson.” The release does not say which investigators reached that finding or when.
The Vehicle and the Place
The release places the fire in north Ajax. It does not give an intersection, a street or an address. It does not identify an owner, an operator or a towing business, it does not describe the truck beyond calling it a tow truck, and it puts no figure on the damage. The words “company,” “owner,” “damage,” “suspect,” “charge” and “arrest” do not appear in it.
The Tow Truck and This Site’s Tow Truck War File
Gangland Files keeps a profile of the Ontario tow truck war, and it is linked here because the vehicle burned was a tow truck. The Durham Regional Police Service does not connect this fire to that conflict, to any dispute over towing, or to any organization, and offers no motive. None of those connections is asserted here.
The West Crime Team Is Asking for Information
The release asks that “Anyone with information about this incident” contact the West Crime Team at 1-888-579-1520 ext. 1960. It also directs anonymous information to Durham Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or http://www.durhamregionalcrimestoppers.ca, and says tipsters may be eligible for a cash reward. It says the investigation remains ongoing.
What the release sets out
- When: Friday, October 2, 2026, at approximately 12:50 a.m., when West Division members responded to an unknown trouble call.
- Where: north Ajax. No street, intersection or address is given.
- What burned: a tow truck. The release is headed “Vehicle Arson” and the body says “tow truck.”
- Who put the fire out: fire services, who attended “the property.”
- The finding: “Further investigation confirmed the fire was the result of arson.”
- Injuries: none reported to police.
- Status: the investigation remains ongoing.
- Information line: the West Crime Team at 1-888-579-1520 ext. 1960, or Durham Regional Crime Stoppers.
- Not in the release: a suspect, a charge, an arrest, an owner or operator, a towing business, a figure for the damage, an incident or occurrence number, a motive, and any named organization or dispute.
Timeline
- Friday, October 2, 2026, approximately 12:50 a.m.West Division members respond to an unknown trouble call in north Ajax, where a tow truck has been set on fire, according to the release. Fire services extinguish the fire. No injuries have been reported to police.
- After the call, date not givenFurther investigation confirms the fire was the result of arson, the release says. It does not date this step or name the investigators who took it.
- Monday, October 5, 2026The Durham Regional Police Service publishes the release, dated three days after the fire, and asks anyone with information to contact the West Crime Team.
- Tuesday, October 6, 2026A search for outlet coverage of this fire returns accounts of earlier Ajax tow truck fires but none of this one. The release is the only account of the allegations found.
Members responded to the unknown trouble call in north Ajax, according to the release.
The unit the release directs information to, at 1-888-579-1520 ext. 1960.
Extinguished the fire, according to the release.
Sources
- Durham Regional Police Service, “Police Investigating After Vehicle Arson in Ajax,” dated October 5, 2026 — the source for every allegation in this briefing: the date and approximate time, the vehicle type, the location, the unknown trouble call, the role of fire services, the arson finding, the injury statement and the appeal for information — drps.ca
- Durham Regional Police Service news index, read October 6, 2026 — lists the release under October 5, 2026 — drps.ca
No one has been charged in connection with this fire. Anyone who is later charged is presumed innocent until proven guilty. Every allegation here, including that the fire was the result of arson, is the Durham Regional Police Service’s, taken from its release. No gang, outlaw motorcycle club, crime family, syndicate or cartel label is used, because the release uses none and names no organization. Ajax is in Durham Region, inside the Greater Toronto Area, so the incident is inside the primary footprint of this beat, where arson is covered regardless of any stated organized-crime nexus and no further beat qualifier applies. The fire is dated October 2 and the release October 5, and both dates are given above. The release mentions no publication ban.