An employee at a Toronto BMW dealership has been arrested after police say he filled an unsuspecting coworker’s water bottle with engine coolant.
The victim told police he was working at the dealership, in the Don Valley Parkway and Eastern Avenue area, on Tuesday evening when he took a sip from his bottle and quickly realized it was not water.
Believing he had been poisoned, police say the man rushed to a pharmacy where he took a charcoal tablet in an attempt to stop the effects.
He later went to a hospital where he was tested for the substance and subsequently cleared.
Police say they were alerted to the incident two days later, on Thursday, after the victim combed through the dealership’s security camera footage.
The video allegedly shows two men – who police say are BMW employees – grabbing the man’s water bottle and filling it with the poisonous substance before placing it back in the service area.
Police have since charged a suspect identified as 34-year-old Rahim Jaffer with one count of administering a noxious substance.
Investigators believe a second man was involved in the incident but have not yet identified him. They anticipate he may be charged with administering a noxious substance or attempted murder.
Anyone with information about the investigation is being asked to call Toronto police or Crime Stoppers.
BMW engine coolant is dangerous even if vapors are inhaled. It contains sodium hydroxide, which can burn skin or internal organs if ingested.
Speaking on behalf of the dealership, lawyer Layth Gafoor said officers attended the dealership Friday and took surveillance camera footage with them.
He said the dealership is offering employees support as the investigation continues.
