Villa Park man gets probation for failed car bomb

A 21-year-old Villa Park man received probation and fines after admitting he tried to blow up the car of a former girlfriend's new suitor.

Artur Pawlina of 1S281 Danby St. pleaded guilty to attempted arson before the sentence.

The charge relates to a device he attached to the gas tank underneath the new boyfriend's Buick sedan. The device consisted of a butane lighter, similar to a charcoal grill starter, that was rigged with a string that, when pulled taut, would ignite the lighter.

The unidentified new boyfriend drove the vehicle to work in Lombard before he noticed the device.

The DuPage County Sheriff's bomb squad removed the device without incident.

Pawlina told police his intention was to blow up the car while it had no passengers. As a result, he was not charged with attempted murder.