Thomas James Marinoni: Ryansbrook man pleads guilty to charges after fiery Kojonup servo crash in stolen ute

A Ryansbrook man who stole two cars and crashed one into a fuel station in Kojonup has pleaded guilty to a host of charges relating to the incident. Thomas James Marinoni pleaded guilty over the phone to six charges in the Albany Magistrates Court on Thursday, after having three others dropped. Police prosecutor Sgt Meagan Diver dismissed two trespass charges and a charge of omitting to do an act with intent to do harm or doing an act that endangered a person’s life, health and safety. Marinoni pleaded guilty to his remaining six charges, which included two counts of stealing a motor vehicle, burglary, stealing, criminal damage, and reckless driving exceeding the speed limit by 45km/h or more. All charges relate to incidents in Ryansbrook and Kojonup on August 23 and 24, 2025 when Marinoni went on a crime spree that ended with him crashing a stolen vehicle into a fuel station in Kojonup. The incident made headlines after WA Police released shocking CCTV footage of the moment one of the stolen vehicles crashed into a fuel bowser, before exploding into a ball of flames. Shortly after he was charged, police released further information about the incident, saying the spree began when Marinoni stole a Nissan Patrol from a property in Ryansbrook, before abandoning it a short time later and stealing a second vehicle, a Toyota HiLux. They said he then drove the stolen ute into the centre of Kojonup and crashed it into fuel bowsers at Kojonup Hi-Way Sales and Service on Albany Highway, before forcing entry into the service station and stealing multiple items. After his pleas of guilty had been entered, magistrate Rosemarie Myers committed five of the six charges to the Albany District Court, with Marinoni set to appear on the sentence mention list on August 5. Marinoni’s lawyer Robert Grayden requested a written pre-sentence report and a psychiatric report, saying Marinoni was admitted to Bunbury Regional Hospital after the incident for treatment of his mental health. The reckless driving charge will remain in Albany Magistrates Court to be dealt with, with Marinoni’s next appearance there scheduled for August 7.