A woman who attended Riot Fest in Chicago claimed her car was set on fire after she refused to pay to park on a public street.
Gayle Kamberos headed to the opening night of the punk and grunge festival on Friday and found a parking spot on Albany Avenue. But when she pulled over, the Chicago resident said a man asked her for $20 to park. She refused and said the man then threatened to set her car on fire.
“There was a gentleman who ran up to me and said, ‘Ma’am, it’s $20 for the spot,’ and I said, ‘There’s no fee here,’ and he said, ‘I’m going to set your car on fire, I’m going to set your car on fire,’ and I said, ‘Yeah, okay.'”
After the festival, she returned to find her Fiat 500 burned and destroyed. Earlier, Kamberos had taken a photo of the man she said had confronted her when she stopped at the scene.
Kamberos said she was angry because her car was destroyed and felt the arson attack was not taken seriously by Riot Fest organizers.
“In the back of my mind I was thinking maybe he’s going to wreck my car, maybe he’s going to slash my tires,” she said. “I didn’t expect to see arson… I didn’t think he would actually do it. That’s it. It’s an extreme threat.”
Some of his personal belongings were stolen from the vehicle, the Chicagoan said.
No arrests had been made as of Saturday evening.
Chicago police said no other arson incidents have been reported nearby. An investigation is ongoing.
