‘Chicago Fire’ actor Brian J. White helps arrest illegal immigrant with blowtorch near LA fire zone
Tenants in the neighborhood detained a man with a ‘blower’
A man allegedly carrying a flashlight near the Kenneth Fire in LA County was confronted and taken into custody Thursday. The police managed to arrest the man for violating his probation, not on suspicion of arson. (Credit: Instagram/@reresellsvroomvrooms)
The on-screen hero came to the aid of his own community after stopping a suspected arsonist from starting a fire in a Los Angeles neighborhood.
on Thursday, “Chicago Fire” actor Brian J. White was one of several residents who detained a man, later identified as an illegal immigrant from Mexico, for allegedly brandishing a blowtorch on private property.
White, who lives in Woodland Hills, was preparing to evacuate his neighborhood because of the proximity Kenneth Fire (now 100% closed), when he realized something was wrong outside.
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Brian J. White heard a commotion outside his home as he prepared to evacuate because of the LA fire.
(Chris Sumner via Storyful)
“We were packing and all of a sudden, outside our house, I hear a scream, ‘Put it down, put it down,'” White said Deadline. “I thought someone had a gun and my neighbor was under duress, so my daughter went and hid in the closet and I ran upstairs to go outside and help the neighbor.”
In a video obtained by Fox News Digital, individuals can be heard screaming at a man who ICE sources would later tell Fox was an illegal immigrant from Mexico named Juan Manuel Sierra-Leyva.
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According to White, a resident next door chased Sierra-Leyva to White’s next-door neighbor’s house, where he was standing with a blowtorch. He was allegedly trying to ignite flammable waste in White’s trash can.
White, along with a third neighbor, said they “supported the guy against our neighbor’s house that he was standing in front of and asked him why he was in the neighborhood.” White said the person was acting strange and “then became very aggressive when asked what she was doing here.”
“He said he was looking for a place to hang out. And we said, ‘Well, this isn’t a place to hang out.'”
Brian J. White can be seen standing right next to suspect Juan Manuel Sierra-Leyva. (Chris Sumner via Storyful)
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White and his neighbors intended to let the police – called by the men’s wives – handle the situation, but Sierra-Leyva “became more aggressive.” White and his neighbors decided on a citizen’s arrest.
“Two of our neighbors work on cars in garages; in one garage they had zippers and [a] some rope in another garage. So we took him off, took him into custody and waited for the police. Sixteen cruisers showed up within about seven minutes of our call, and the rest are on the news.”
Brian J. White and his neighbors stand in the driveway as Juan Manuel Sierra-Leyva sits on the ground. (Chris Sumner via Storyful)
A representative for White did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. By deadline, the LAPD arrested Sierra-Leyva on a probation violation, but did not have enough evidence to charge her with arson.
During his decades-long career, White played several characters in uniform, including a detective in “The Shield,” “We Belong Together” and “12 Rounds,” as well as a cop in “Ghost Whisperer” and the The film “Dirty” from 2005.
Brian J. White played firefighter Dallas Patterson in “Chicago Fire.” (Elizabeth Morris/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images)
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Preparing for those roles—what White called “hostage negotiation training”—is what allowed White to stay calm in a troubled situation outside his home.
“I’ve had many rides with the police over the years, and one of the main things they talk about is staying calm and communicating,” he said. “So I was trying to make it clear to the gentleman that I don’t care about explanations. He’s standing on my property with a lamp on so I’ll just make sure he waits until the police come.”
“We had to find out if he had a weapon with him, if we were in danger,” he added. “We tried to stay calm, and then when it got physical, we tried to make sure it was quick, which is why we asked other neighbors to help us with ropes and cords. So yeah, I’m grateful to everyone who ever trained me in police work, firefighting and fighting to be ready for such moments.”
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Brian J. White says his past training for screen roles helped him with the Juan Manuel Sierra-Leyva situation. (Leon Bennett/Getty Images for BET)
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There were three on Wednesday morning active fires burning in Los Angeles County and one in Ventura County. The Palisades Fire remains the least contained at 19%.
Fox News Digital’s Adam Shaw and Bill Melugin contributed to this report.
