A Wangaratta man who accidentally set himself and his co-accused on fire during a botched insurance job has been jailed.

Jye Werkowski, 27, appeared at Wangaratta Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday via a prison link where he pleaded guilty to numerous charges after accepting a sentence indication of an eight-month prison term.

The court previously heard Werkowski and his co-accused, a 33-year-old Wangaratta man, were driven to Cambridge Drive masked and carrying a jerry can on the night of 11 January 2025.

They arrived at a nearby Swinburne Drive home with a Holden Captiva in the driveway.

The pair were confronted by a neighbour near the front yard after breaking into the home and splashing petrol over the Captiva.

Werkowski then ignited the accelerant causing the vehicle to explode and burst into flames.

Both men caught on fire, with Werkowski running to an adjacent park and rolling on the ground until the flames were extinguished.

His co-accused had his entire left side of his body alight and was seen running to the same park, tossing clothes and stomping on the ground.

The court heard he was almost naked running down Swinburne Drive holding his clothes as the pair fled.

CCTV footage at the address and nearby caught the incident on camera.

The court previously heard the co-accused had allegedly been asked by the owner of a Holden Captiva to dispose of their vehicle so they could submit an insurance claim.

Werkowski is serving a 23-month sentence following a County Court trial earlier this year.

On Wednesday he admitted to breaching an intervention order by intimidating a witness, his ex-partner, during the trial.

He made a comment towards her during a break in court, which she interpreted as a threat on her brother’s life.

Werkowski also admitted to being caught possessing a traffickable amount of meth and cocaine, stealing a car and driving away from police.

Magistrate Megan Casey imposed an eight-month sentence, ruling two months to be served concurrently with his current prison sentence.

He is set for release towards the end of June 2027.

Werkowski’s driver’s licence was also disqualified for 12 months.

His co-accused at the car fire appeared at Wangaratta Magistrates' Court on Thursday.

The 33-year-old's matter was adjourned to 31 August as he faced a committal hearing for alleged gun and drug trafficking in the North East.