Fremont Serial Arson Suspect Arrested After Garage Doors, Car Set On Fire
FREMONT (CBS SF) -- Police in Fremont on Tuesday morning arrested a serial arson suspect who allegedly tried to light the garage doors of multiple residences on fire after he ignited a car, according to authorities.
Police said the suspect, identified as 44-year-old Fremont resident Roshan Patel, was taken into custody early Tuesday morning as he attempted to light a car on fire. According to a news release, undercover detectives were conducting surveillance for Patel, who was suspected if being involved in at least four residential garage door fires that had happened since December 1st.
That initial fire was lit at a home on Castro Lane, police said. There were three subsequent fires attributed to the same suspect: one on December 4th at a residence on Cougar Circle, a second on December 6th on Hoyt Street and a third that same day on Cougar Circle at the same residence that had been targeted two days earlier.
Fremont officers located private residential camera footage that provided a general description of the suspect vehicle. Detectives then matched that footage to the Community Camera network which then provided a license plate for the suspect vehicle.
Detectives were surveilling Patel early Tuesday morning when he led them to the same house he had targeted on Hoyt Street at approximately 2:45 a.m. Detectives saw Patel get out of his vehicle and pour a liquid on a parked vehicle.
Police detectives tried to contact Patel before he could ignite the vehicle, but he was able to set the vehicle on fire. Authorities were able to arrest the suspect as he ran back to his vehicle and extinguished the car fire with a nearby garden hose.
Patel was arrested on arson charges and booked at the Fremont City Jail. Detectives determined that Patel knew at least one of the residents that he had targeted in his arson attacks.
