The Video Of A Burning Car Speeding Through The Road Is Not From Mumbai.
A video of a burning car speeding through a busy road went viral on social claiming it to be from Pushpa Park, Malad East. Sharing the video on Facebook users wrote, "Incident on the Western Express Highway near Malad East, Mumbai. A car catches flame and starts rolling down the slope towards curious bystanders who stopped to see a car burn. To satisfy your curiosity this was most likely caused due to short circuit and was not an electric vehicle".
Facebook Link | Archived Link.
Similar posts can be seen here and here. Archived Link
The same video was forwarded to our 24X7 Factline number 9049053770 claiming it to be from Pushpa Park, Malad East.
However, as we investigated we came to know that the claim is false. The video is not from Malad East. Here's the fact check.
Fact Check
We started our investigation by taking some screenshots from the viral video and conducting a reverse image search. This led us to a news report published in The Hindustan Times on 13 October 2024. The news report contained a photo similar to the screenshots from the viral video. The headline of the report read, "Driverless car engulfed in flames speeds down the road in Jaipur, causes panic as motorists flee for safety. Watch"
According to the report, "A driverless car burst into flames as it sped down the elevated road on Jaipur's Ajmer Road towards Sudarshanpura Pulia on Saturday. In a dramatic turn of events, the flaming vehicle collided with a parked motorcycle, forcing nearby motorists to scramble for safety. The chaotic scene concluded as the burning car eventually crashed into a road divider, but fortunately, no injuries were reported despite the busy traffic".
Please read here. Archived Link.
Moving forward, we found the same viral video uploaded on the official YouTube channel of NDTV on 13 October 2023. The description of the video reads, "A self-driven car caught in flames was seen moving on a Jaipur road. It was owned by Mukesh Goswami from Alwar and was driven by his friend Jitendra Jangid. When the driver sensed smoke coming from the blower in the car, he stopped to check it. Suddenly the car caught fire and started careening down the road on its own creating panic. Fire brigade was called to put out the fire".
Further, we found a news report published in The Indian Express with the headline, "Watch: Driverless car catches fire in Jaipur, speeds through busy road".
Please read here. Archived Link.
Another similar report can be read here. Archived Link.
Using relevant keywords again, we found a video on Facebook that was shot from a slightly different angle. In that video, the burning car can be seen stopped after hitting a divider. The caption of the Facebook post read, "A dramatic incident unfolded in Jaipur when an unmanned, blazing car careened down the elevated Ajmer Road towards Sudarshanpura Pulia. The vehicle, engulfed in flames, collided with a parked motorcycle and forced other motorists to frantically evade its path. The fiery journey ended when the car crashed into a road divider. Miraculously, despite heavy traffic, no injuries were reported. Viral videos captured the terrifying moments as motorcyclists abandoned their bikes and fled to safety. The car's owner was identified as Jitendra Jangid, a resident of Mansarovar's Journalist Colony.
#JaipurCarIncident #BurningCarChase #AjmerRoadDrama #MiraculousEscape"
Facebook Link | Archived Link.
For more confirmation, we geolocated the place and that can be seen here.
The comparison between the screenshot of the Facebook video and the image from Google Maps can be seen below.
This makes it clear that the viral video is from Jaipur, Rajasthan.
Conclusion
From our investigation, we can say that the claim is false. The viral video is not from Pushpa Park, Malad East, Mumbai. The video shows a driverless burning car speeding through the busy Ajmer Road of Jaipur, Rajasthan.