Snapchat's Snap Map Helps Trap Accused Arsonist: Police

PUYALLUP, WA — An accused arsonist who late Monday night reportedly blew up two mailboxes in Puyallup was caught this week thanks to the "Find-a-Friend" feature on Snapchat, according to court documents obtained by Patch.

Thomas Joseph Qualls, 19, was arraigned in a Pierce County court Wednesday and officially charged with one count of second-degree arson, a Class B felony punishable with up to 10 years in prison and/or a $20,000 fine.

Puyallup police and Central Pierce Fire & Rescue were dispatched around midnight July 9 to a brush fire in the 1700-block of Fifth Avenue Southwest. At the scene, officers reportedly found the brush fire was located roughly 6 feet south of two destroyed mailboxes.

While one of the mailboxes was completely destroyed, the address numbers to the other still hung onto the severely damaged post, documents state; debris from the apparent explosion was scattered in a 60 to 80 foot radius.

The respective owners of both mailboxes told officers they heard an explosion before looking outside to see the brush fire. One of the residents also pointed to an occupied vehicle nearby, indicating the people in the car may have also witnessed the explosion.

Speaking with the vehicle occupants, police learned they'd followed Qualls to the scene of the brush fire using Snapchat's Snap Map "find-a-friend" feature, court documents state. With the Snapchat followers' help, police verified Qualls' identity and address and headed to his house.

Unable to locate Qualls at his home, police then learned around 1:15 a.m. that Qualls' Snapchat account was Snap Map'd in the Sumner area, near 55th Street Court and Parker Road east, where police ultimately located Qualls' silver Ford Mustang outside a home in the area, documents state.

Qualls was arrested shortly thereafter.

After first denying any knowledge of the explosion or brush fire, Qualls reportedly went on to tell officers that he and a friend had been driving around looking for a place to set off two Black Pearl mortars they'd gotten from the Muckleshoot Indian Reservation.

Qualls said he eventually pulled over by the mailboxes while his friend put the mortars inside and set them off, documents state. Officers then retrieved the friend who was still inside the home.

The friend reportedly told police he had nothing to say until officers explained that Qualls was attempting to pin the whole incident on him. At that point, the friend reportedly produced a 22-second video, shot on his cellphone from inside Qualls' vehicle, showing Qualls putting the fireworks into the mailbox, lighting them, then running back to the driver's seat of his Mustang before driving away.

The end of the video showed the explosion through the Mustang's rear window, court documents state.

Presented with the evidence, Qualls reportedly admitted he was responsible.

A pre-trial conference is currently set for July 22.