The man seen in the viral video confronts him and arrests him Residents of Los Angeleswho police eventually arrested with the alleged lighter, is an illegal immigrant from Mexico, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) sources told Fox News.
Los Angeles police took a man into custody after a group of local residents grabbed him near the Kenneth Fire, allegedly carrying a torch, according to Fox 11 Los Angeles video.
He was shown holding a lamp head and a yellow fuel tank, before being tackled to the ground by at least five residents.
Pedestrians help a firefighter stretch a hose as an apartment building burns, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, in the Altadena section of Pasadena, California. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)
ICE sources tell Fox he is a Mexican illegal immigrant named Juan Manuel Sierra-Leyva. He is in custody for violating his probation and has not been charged with arson.
ICE intends to file a detainer request for him – a request that ICE be notified of any release so he can be transferred to their custody and potentially deported. However, they don’t expect it to be respected because California is “sanctuary” state. which greatly limits local and state law enforcement cooperation with the agency.
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A photo from a home security video appears to show a Los Angeles man holding a flashlight head and a fuel tank before residents caught him and called police as wildfires rage across Southern California. Police said he was taken into custody but could not confirm he was connected to any fires. (FOX 11 Los Angeles)
A Los Angeles police source previously told Fox News Digital that it’s not uncommon to find people who set wildfires on purpose.
“When you have winds like this, it brings out the serial arsonists, who are sick,” the source said. There is no confirmed connection between the arson and any of the fires since last week.
Illegal immigration has been a major political issue and the Trump administration is expected to launch a sweeping deportation operation after taking office next week.
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Firefighters watch as water falls on the Palisades Fire in Mandeville Canyon on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Some states have said they will cooperate with the operation, while other state and local officials say they will not and may even actively resist the effort.
Recently, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said he wants to work with the new administration to deport those who are violent criminals. But the Trump administration may have its toughest job in California, where there is not only a state sanctuary law, but efforts in local jurisdictions to go even further. prohibiting ICE cooperation.
Fox News’ Michael Ruiz and Matt Finn contributed to this report.
