LA wildfire ‘arsonist’ tackled by hero locals revealed as blowtorch-wielding illegal immigrant Juan Manuel Sierra-Leyva
THE LA wildfire suspected arsonist that was tackled by heroic locals has been named by ICE sources as illegal immigrant Juan Manuel Sierra-Levya.
After getting tackled and restrained with zip ties by residents, a man thought to be Sierra-Levya was arrested close to where the Kenneth Fire erupted on Thursday.
Authorities are treating the area as a crime scene as flames continue to rip across more than 1,000 acres.
The man captured in the viral video being confronted and seized allegedly wielding a blowtorch is an illegal immigrant from Mexico, ICE sources told Fox News.
LA cops took the man into custody after the group of residents managed to get hold of him near the deadly Kenneth Fire.
ICE sources say the man’s name is Juan Manuel Sierra-Levya and claims he is in custody due to a probation violation.
He has not been charged with arson and it remains unknown if he may have started one of the most recent wildfires that razed LA.
ICE intends to put a detainer request on the man, which means ICE would be notified on any release so he can be transferred into their custody and potentially deported.
But they don’t expect it it to be honored as California is dubbed a “sanctuary” state that predominantly limits local and state law enforcement cooperation with the agency.
Dramatic footage shows the suspect – still gripping a blowtorch – arguing with a man in the street.
More residents then help restrain him before he is hauled to the ground.
They then used zip ties to hold him before police arrived.
Residents said they had spotted a man riding around on a bike gripping a blowtorch.
The suspected arsonist was attempting to set old discarded Christmas trees and garbage cans on fire, they claim.
Locals then followed him and stopped him before he was arrested, Fox LA reports.
“We really banded together as a group. A few gentlemen surrounded him and got him on his knees,” witness Renata Grinshpun told KLTA.
Another clip then shows the suspected arsonist being detained by police with his arms cuffed behind his back.
The terrifying footage of the blowtorch-wielding man, who has previously been reported as homeless, has sparked new debate over the Democratic city’s handling of its residents living on the streets.
Blazes caused by homeless individuals living on the streets of LA with potentially deadly encampments doubled between 2020 and 2023 – skyrocketing to 13,909, New York Post reports.
Hollywood resident and realtor Levi Freeman spoke of his safety concerns in May to NBC.
He said: “A tent fire could set other buildings ablaze and then go to the next building if [firefighters] can’t get here fast enough.
“People are literally dying in the streets in tents burning down around them.”
The US’s homeless problem has escalated to the point that the Supreme Court issued a ruling on it in June allowing municipalities to arrest people camping out on the street.
But LA Mayor Karen Bass slammed the ruling as being political.
She said in a statement at the time: “Today’s decision is not surprising given the make-up of the Court but disappointing nonetheless.
“The only way to address this crisis is to bring people indoors with housing and supportive services.
“In the City of Los Angeles, we will continue leading with this approach.”
Republican President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to ban homeless encampments and instead have what he’s dubbed “tent cities”.
Democrat Bass has agreed to try working with the Republican on the issue – including by moving the city’s homeless to shelters on federal property.
The Kenneth Fire continues to tear through Ventura County, which borders Los Angeles to the west, threatening luxurious homes in the area.
Dramatic pictures show helicopters dropping water on the raging inferno in a desperate bid to put out the blaze.
Evacuation warnings have reached the exclusive suburbs of Calabasas and Hidden Hill, where the Kardashians are among the celebrities who call the area home.
The Kenneth Fire started on the western edge of Los Angeles in the San Fernando Valley, just two miles from a school serving as a shelter for fire evacuees shortly after 2:30 pm.
“About 20 minutes, 30 minutes later, a suspect was detained over in the Woodland Hills area by citizens,” Dinsel told NewsNation.
He said it was not clear how and why the fire was started – but it is “being investigated as a crime.”
By the evening, the blaze had moved into neighboring Ventura County before rapidly spreading overnight to more than 800 acres.
About 400 firefighters remained on the scene overnight to guard against the fire flaring up.
The Los Angeles Fire Department initially issued mandatory evacuation orders for the area known as Hidden Hills but has since downgraded that to warnings.
Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman has said the penalty for the suspected arsonist could be as high as homicide and could result in life in prison.
“Justice will be swift. It will be firm, and the maximum punishment will be sought,” Hochman said.
“Our goal is to send this warning. Whether it’s looting, these internet scams, robbery or future arsons. … the day and age of a DA’s office standing on the sidelines is over.
“We want to bring justice, and we will.”
What caused the LA wildfires?
By Juliana Cruz Lima, Foreign News Reporter
THE devastating Palisades Fire, which has ravaged Los Angeles and claimed at least eight lives, is believed to have been reignited from scorch marks left by an earlier blaze that may have been sparked by New Year’s Eve fireworks.
According to an investigation by The Washington Post, remnants of the earlier fire, which burned in the Temescal Ridge area of the Santa Monica Mountains, could have been rekindled by strong winds six days later, setting the stage for one of California’s most destructive wildfires.
Satellite imagery and other data suggest the Palisades Fire began in the same area as the New Year’s Eve fire, which had been contained after burning four acres.
While the initial blaze was controlled in a few hours, the high winds and severe drought conditions leading up to the second fire created a perfect storm for reignition.
Michael Gollner, a fire scientist at the University of California, Berkeley, explained: “We know that fires rekindle and transition from smoldering to flaming.
“It’s certainly possible that something from that previous fire, within a week, had rekindled and caused the ignition.”
Nearby residents expressed frustration over what they described as a slower response time to the second fire.
Michael Valentine, who witnessed the start of both blazes, noted a stark difference.
“The first time around, the response was swift and impressive. The second, though, was slower and hindered by the high winds,” he said.
Valentine reported that when he and his wife called the Los Angeles Fire Department to report the Palisades Fire, the line was busy, and resources were delayed as crews responded to emergencies elsewhere in the city.
A helicopter attempting to deliver water early on was unable to operate due to the dangerous winds.
Valentine estimated it took 45 minutes before he saw any firefighting efforts, by which time the fire was spreading rapidly.
The delay led Valentine to take matters into his own hands, wetting down homes in his neighborhood and sustaining burns and injuries in the process.
Adding to the tragedy, local residents have pointed to the dangers of fireworks during drought conditions.
A nearby hiker, Darrin Hurrwitz, reported smelling smoke near the origin point an hour before the fire broke out but dismissed it when the scent disappeared.
Another resident blamed the New Year’s Eve revelers, saying: “You got to know better. It’s dry. There’s no precipitation… Then the Santa Anas came on Monday, and that’s what reignited the fire.”
While it remains uncertain whether the New Year’s Eve fire directly caused the Palisades Fire, both state and federal investigators continue to examine the burn scar area for clues.