• We have updated the guidelines regarding posting political content: please see the stickied thread on Website Issues.

The Hiper Bompreço Self-Immolator

A

Anonymous58081

Fresh Blood
Joined
Nov 29, 2019
Messages
13
This urban legend is local to me. As a resident of Olinda, everytime I read it I get more intrigued and sad.

Information:
The Hiper Bompreço self-immolator was an entity seen by several witnesses on August 20, 2019. A redditor named "PedroFindAGrave" posted a message into the Unresolvedmysteries subreddit, saying if there were virtual witnesses of the incident.

I remember being told by a friend of mine here in Brazil, that, on the day of the Rio-Niterói bridge bus kidnapping, a incident of darker nature happened in Olinda, but I can't find no news on this incident.
What happened was that, according to him, a teenager, aged around 15-19, put a newspaper around his groin (he was wearing shorts), set it on fire, and then ran into the Hiper Bompreço mall while on fire, and defecating (his shorts were lowered by the time he entered the mall) all the place as he "appeared to have diarrhea". He then escaped without a guard capturing him, or even attempting to run after him. There were several witnesses.
I attempted to search this incident in Google Search, and, believe me, I couldn't find a single snippet about it! Even a mention I could find. All the results I got was like this news: Tiroteio em supermercado de Olinda deixa idosa ferida and that Incêndio no Hiper Bompreço é controlado but nothing related to the man-on-fire-incident.
Photo of the Hiper Bompreço mall
Please, if someone in Olinda witnessed this incident, please comment because I'm worried for this boy.

Links: Did anyone, in Olinda, Brazil, witnessed this incident?, The Hiper Bompreço self-immolator

What's your opinion on that incident? Will they ever caught the boy?
 
Could it be that the boy's fire and feces action was a prank or protest?

If I understand correctly, the boy escaped rather than stopping (falling down; dying) in the shopping center. This does not seem to reflect any intention to fatally self-immolate himself.

I mention "protest" because ... Hiper Bompreço is a Brazilian chain of markets which became a Walmart subsidiary as of 2004. The Hiper Bompreço marketplaces are being converted into Walmart (of Brazil) SuperCenters.

In August 2019 there were widespread violent protests in Chile. Certain retail chains (especially the American chain Walmart) were specifically targeted by the Chilean protestors, and multiple Walmart-owned stores were burned.

Could it be that the Olinda Hiper Bompreço incident represented some sort of protest inspired by the Walmart attacks in Chile during that same period?

Alternatively, could the Olinda incident represent a local protest against Walmart's presence and takeover of a Brazilian company?
 
“Did l see a boy with his groin ablaze, hosing diarrhoea in every direction while he ran through this shopping centre just now? Sorry, doesn’t ring any bells with me...”

maximus otter
 
EnolaGaia said:
Could it be that the boy's fire and feces action was a prank or protest?

If I understand correctly, the boy escaped rather than stopping (falling down; dying) in the shopping center. This does not seem to reflect any intention to fatally self-immolate himself.

I mention "protest" because ... Hiper Bompreço is a Brazilian chain of markets which became a Walmart subsidiary as of 2004. The Hiper Bompreço marketplaces are being converted into Walmart (of Brazil) SuperCenters.

In August 2019 there were widespread violent protests in Chile. Certain retail chains (especially the American chain Walmart) were specifically targeted by the Chilean protestors, and multiple Walmart-owned stores were burned.

Could it be that the Olinda Hiper Bompreço incident represented some sort of protest inspired by the Walmart attacks in Chile during that same period?

Alternatively, could the Olinda incident represent a local protest against Walmart's presence and takeover of a Brazilian company?
Click to expand...
That's totally possible! Very interesting theory. I hope a website about paranormal events notice this event and analyzes it.
 
I know of fire performers who can move fire around and not get burned... supposed the groin was covered with a falsie of some kind to "hoist" the flame, leaving the underlying manhood untouched by the flames? Thus, it was just some kind of performance/prank?
 
MrRING said:
I know of fire performers who can move fire around and not get burned... supposed the groin was covered with a falsie of some kind to "hoist" the flame, leaving the underlying manhood untouched by the flames? Thus, it was just some kind of performance/prank?
Click to expand...

The diarrhoea tends to argue against “performance artist”, at least in the towns l frequent.

maximus otter
 
MrRING said:
I know of fire performers who can move fire around and not get burned... supposed the groin was covered with a falsie of some kind to "hoist" the flame, leaving the underlying manhood untouched by the flames? Thus, it was just some kind of performance/prank?
Click to expand...
Mostly not likely a performance, if I remember the story correctly. He had an explosive diarrhoea and defecated all over the place and his shorts were burned.
 
MrRING said:
I know of fire performers who can move fire around and not get burned... supposed the groin was covered with a falsie of some kind to "hoist" the flame, leaving the underlying manhood untouched by the flames? Thus, it was just some kind of performance/prank?
Click to expand...
As demonstrated by the late, great Rik Mayall
 
cientific124 said:
... While looking it I just imagined if the boy beheaved like Rik Mayall during the fire ordeal.
Click to expand...

If the incident had been caught on video (e.g., from a surveillance camera) the boy's behavior would provide a big clue to what was going on.

If the fire was an accident most folks would have screamed, called out for help, and / or made a lot of panic movements.
 
EnolaGaia said:
If the incident had been caught on video (e.g., from a surveillance camera) the boy's behavior would provide a big clue to what was going on.

If the fire was an accident most folks would have screamed, called out for help, and / or made a lot of panic movements.
Click to expand...
The moment was actually caught on camera! I say that because I often visit this mall with my dad and I see a TV with surveillance camera in the opening of the mall. I just don't know why they didn't released the moment on camera in the Internet yet.
 
According to the Websleuths description of the incident, the fire wasn't burning when he entered the mall:

He says that he himself extinguished the flames while still out of the mall.
Click to expand...

This would mean he was only defecating - not burning - as he ran through the mall. This isn't the same scenario described in the first post above.

This seems to indicate guards and other people in the mall saw only a man with burnt pants shitting himself. Unless he stayed within the mall for a while, I don't find it surprising that he escaped before anyone caught him.

I'm very confused about his motivation for this stunt. It seems that the Rio-Niterói bridge bus kidnapping inspired him to do something to become famous. It seems Pedro didn't consider that the kidnapping story would overshadow his own stunt - especially since he bungled it by extinguishing the fire before entering the mall.
 
EnolaGaia said:
According to the Websleuths description of the incident, the fire wasn't burning when he entered the mall:



This would mean he was only defecating - not burning - as he ran through the mall. This isn't the same scenario described in the first post above.

This seems to indicate guards and other people in the mall saw only a man with burnt pants shitting himself. Unless he stayed within the mall for a while, I don't find it surprising that he escaped before anyone caught him.

I'm very confused about his motivation for this stunt. It seems that the Rio-Niterói bridge bus kidnapping inspired him to do something to become famous. It seems Pedro didn't consider that the kidnapping story would overshadow his own stunt - especially since he bungled it by extinguishing the fire before entering the mall.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the reply. Also thanks for helping me in the initial theories (in which you said he could have done this for political reasons). I wonder if the mall even contacted police about the case, because a bizarre incident like that would lead to police attention. Also, I am also confused in Pedro's motivation for the stunt. Maybe he wanted to use fire because in the Rio-Niterói bus kidnapping the kidnapper used gasoline (but did not use it, also, EnolaGaia, I don't know if you ever heard about the kidnapper using gasoline the day of the kidnapping). Maybe he had a psychotic breakdown, or maybe Pedro wanted to pull a shocking prank but, with obviously bad results. I hope Pedro is OK by now.

Thanks for everyone for replying this post. It was a really interesting mystery to solve.
 
cientific124 said:
It's apparently solved: The person name is "Pedro" and he apparently did it in the hopes of becoming famous. Link for the solved text: Websleuths post about the self-immolator (last message talks about the case being solved)
Click to expand...
ND.jpg
 
AlchoPwn, you message just sent a thought to my mind: With the current situation of the politics in Brazil (which looks like a circus) I think "self-immolator Pedro" can actually elect himself as a politician. Haha
 
Mythopoeika said:
Self-immolation as an election strategy?
That's a half-baked idea.
Click to expand...
Haha, I know it is nonsensical, but I thought of that because, as I live in Brazil (I cannot speak for the Brazilian society) the political situation here is in total chaos. Militias everywhere, Marielle Franco scandal, and the recent COVID-19 disease around the world, so I thought putting the "self-immolation as strategy" thing as a little foolish joke.
Thanks for the message, Mythopoeika!
 
I just looked Marielle Franco up online - that's horrendous! Off-topic, but I hope things get better for Brazil soon, @cientific124 .
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top