"most of a car and lorry were damaged by the fire."
A massive explosion near London’s O2 Arena was caused by a convicted paedophile who blew up a BBC lorry on his film set while filming naked.
On August 31, 2024, Jacky Jhaj loaded an old BBC truck and Union Jack-draped vehicles with explosives in a pre-planned blast.
But the fire went out of control.
The inferno and black smoke could be seen for miles and many locals feared it was a terrorist attack.
Locals likened the explosion to a “bomb going off” and an “earthquake”.
Residents were not warned of the film production stunts, except for a post to the Borough of Greenwich’s official Facebook page.
The shock following the explosions resulted in over 90 calls to emergency services and the London City Airport shutting down operations for the evening.
Four fire engines and around 25 firefighters were called to Dock Road, Canning Town, situated near The O2 Arena.
London Fire Brigade confirmed the blaze:
“The fire at an open-air yard in Silvertown is now under control.
“One van was destroyed by the fire and most of a car and lorry were damaged by the fire. There are currently no reports of any injuries.”
On social media, footage showed a small fire quickly erupting and going out of control.
In a statement, the Met Police said it was aware of the reports of explosions but there was “no risk to the public”.
The force said: “The Met was made aware of the pre-planned filming, including the use of explosives, prior to the event taking place on the evening of Saturday, 31 August.
“It appears this information was not disseminated as widely as it should have been and we are looking at the systems currently in place to establish why this was the case in this instance.”
The fire was eventually brought under control at around 9 pm and it is now believed the stunt was arranged by convicted paedophile and self-proclaimed film producer Jacky Jhaj.
He was jailed for four years in 2016 after being found guilty of sexual activity with two 15-year-old girls.
Jhaj has previously hit headlines for organising events including a fake movie premiere and a funeral featuring an empty coffin.
The botched stunt near The O2 Arena was triggered by using gunpowder and a detonation cord, which sent the roof of a police van 50 feet into the air.
Where is the camera crew? pic.twitter.com/2wo9bi7MOx
— Wolf ? (@WorldByWolf) August 31, 2024
Dubbed Project Dover, it was reported that Jhaj offered cash incentives to the crew, allegedly offering £5,000 instead of their usual £750 fee.
A source said: “He has apparently got form in terms of setting up fictitious films and things like that, hiding the agenda and his identity from the legitimate and professional businesses and individuals that get booked via a separate production company to carry out the film work.
“Now we think this one was a giant F U to the BBC, the police and the newspapers for outing him for the offences that he was committed or charged with.”
Following the shocking stunt, around 70 crew members have walked out of his production.
One video bizarrely shows a naked Jhaj casually walking near the BBC lorry as it exploded.
Jhaj was arrested on suspicion of breaching a sexual harm prevention order in June 2024.
It followed accusations that he attended a casting session with children, allegedly videoing and photographing them during the incident.
He is now set to go on trial at Isleworth Crown Court on August 4, 2025, after breaching notification requirements and a sexual harm prevention order.
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