IE Preschool Set On Fire With 48 Tots Inside; Probationer Indicted

YUCAIPA, CA — A New Mexico probationer is charged with trying to burn down a Yucaipa church preschool while dozens of children and school employees were inside, and then attempting to burn down a nearby strip mall.

On Wednesday, a federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment against Jonathan A. Barajas Nava, 36, of Albuquerque. He is charged with two counts of attempted destruction of property by means of fire. If convicted of both charges, Nava is facing up to 40 years in federal prison.

According to an affidavit previously filed with a criminal complaint in the case, around 1:40 p.m. April 24 Nava tried to burn down the Retreat Church and Yucaipa Christian Preschool at 34968 Avenue H by pouring an ignitable liquid on the preschool’s entrance and lighting it on fire.

There were 48 preschoolers and 14 staff members inside the church preschool at the time, according to prosecutors. No one was injured.

Later that same day, Nava allegedly tried to burn down a nearby Yucaipa strip mall by pouring an ignitable liquid on the building’s gas meters and setting them ablaze.

Finally, someone called 911 to report a gray pickup stuck on top of a chain-link fence in the area. Nava was spotted trying to free the rig as it burst into flames and caught his leg on fire. Investigators recognized the vehicle from surveillance video taken at the church preschool.

Nava was arrested and charged in state court before a federal criminal case was brought against him. He made his initial appearance in the federal case on May 8. He was ordered detained pending trial and is scheduled for arraignment on May 28 in U.S. District Court in Riverside.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, and the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department are investigating the case.

Nava has a history with fire. He is currently on probation after pleading guilty in a 2022 Albuquerque case in which he crashed into multiple police cars and tried to burn a gas pump, according to an Albuquerque Journal report.

During the melee, Nava tried to get an officer's rifle and punched another before being arrested, according to the news outlet.

Nava was eventually granted probation in the Albuquerque case, but an arrest warrant was issued last month after he failed to comply with his probation terms. According to reporting from the Albuquerque Journal, Nava left a counseling program, refused to undergo anger management and quit his job at a local Jiffy Lube.

It's not clear what brought Nava to Yucaipa. According to the Albuquerque Journal report, the arrest warrant stemming from his probation violations was issued the day before the alleged Yucaipa incidents.