Bundall, Gold Coast: 'Disgruntled' customer accused of setting fire to $360,000 Mercedes at luxury car rental agency for bizarre reason

An allegedly disgruntled customer is accused of starting a massive fire at a car rental agency by scattering firewood and used fast food packages as kindling before pouring petrol on the material under a $363,000 Mercedes.

Moon Serk Park, 41, appeared in the Brisbane Arrest Court on Saturday charged with arson over the fire that engulfed  Queensland Luxury Car Rentals on Ashmore Rd, in the Gold Coast suburb of Bundall around 6.30am on Friday morning.

Prosecutors alleged Mr Park threw 'a flaming item' at the rental agency's grey Mercedes off-road SUV that he had earlier prepared to ignite by placing the combustible material beneath.

Police claim he poured five litres of fuel from a tin onto the firewood, and used paper bags from McDonald's as kindling, with his actions all captured on closed-circuit TV cameras, the court heard, reported the Courier Mail.  

A new AMG G63 retails for around $363,591.

It is alleged Park was upset with the car rental company after he paid $1955 to hire a BMW but failed to pay an additional $2000 security bond meaning he could not collect the car.

Mr Park demanded  to cancel the hire agreement and get an 'immediate refund'.

After he was told the refund would take five days, Mr Park allegedly became 'disgruntled and made various threats' to the business 'via text message', police allege.

When Queensland Luxury Car Rentals asked for a copy of Park's credit card to process the refund he declined to provide it.

It's alleged Mr Park hired a white Mazda cx30 with Victorian registration and mounted the kerb to park on the footpath outside the car rental company before he stepped out in a 'black facemask and sunglasses'.

Police claim Mr Park collected a 15kg yellow bag of firewood from the boot and then approached the grey Mercedes before scattering the firewood beneath.

He allegedly returned to the hired Mazda and collected a five litre tin of fuel from the front passenger door and then poured fuel onto the scattered timbers beneath the Mercedes before adding McDonald's paper bags to the wood pile.

'The fire ignited causing unrepairable damage to the grey Mercedes and extensive damage to the building,' Magistrate Terry Duroux said, quoting the police objection to bail affidavit.

'Further damage was caused to luxury high end motor vehicles parked (nearby) by heat, smoke and soot.

'The estimate of the monetary value of damage is unknown at this time. The allegations to me seem to be quite strong.'

Legal Aid Queensland duty lawyer Anastasia Stoenko submitted her client denied the allegation and questioned how Mr Park could be identified if he was wearing a facemask and sunglasses.

She said Mr Park, who has been an Australian citizen since 2003, had recently moved to Brisbane from Melbourne and was living in his car because he could not find a room to rent that he could afford from a $700 Centrelink payment fortnightly.

He was diagnosed with bipolar disorder during the pandemic and has had difficulty getting further medication, Ms Stoenko said.

Magistrate Duroux refused bail because he said risk that Mr Park would reoffend was too high.

Mr Park had been on bail for a separate arson, wilful damage and stealing charge. 

He is due back in court in Brisbane on August 5, where all of his current charges will be heard together.

The full prosecution brief of evidence must be handed over to court by August 31.