Arson Suspect Arrested In Fremont

FREMONT, CA — Police said Thursday they have arrested a 36-year-old man suspected of setting several small arson fires earlier this week in north Fremont and Newark.

Investigators were alerted when fire crews responded to a blaze about 11:45 a.m. Tuesday in the area of Thornton Avenue and Balboa Way, where they found a piece of furniture on fire.

Witnesses gave a description of the suspect, and while officers were there they learned of an earlier blaze in Newark, in the 36600 block of Cedar Boulevard.

That fire damaged a set of stairs that led to a building and was extinguished by a passerby before it could spread.

About 20 minutes after the first Fremont fire was reported, another piece of furniture was found on fire in the 35000 block of Fremont Blvd.

Several more small fires were found in north Fremont over the next hour and half, police said, and witnesses all gave police the same description of a suspect.

About 1:30 p.m., a Fremont police sergeant was searching for the arson suspect when he spotted smoke in the area of Thornton Avenue and Interstate Highway 880.

"The sergeant immediately drove to the area and located the suspect, actively starting another fire in a wooded area adjacent to the roadway," according to a release from Fremont police.

The suspect, Joseph Paulson of Newark, was arrested on suspicion of two counts of arson of property in Fremont, and possession of a flammable material with intent to set fire to a structure in Newark.

No injuries were reported in the fires and the damage was mostly contained to vegetation, abandoned property, and garbage, police said.

Copyright © 2024 Bay City News, Inc. All rights reserved. Republication, rebroadcast or redistribution without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. Bay City News is a 24/7 news service covering the greater Bay Area.