State firefighting authorities have initiated an arson investigation into two trash-can fires that occurred on the San Jose State University campus at the end of last month. The fires, believed to be intentionally set by the same individual, prompted the dispatch of an arson investigation team from Cal Fire’s Office of the State Fire Marshal. In a news release on Tuesday, the authorities shared two security-camera images and a description of the suspected person involved in the incident that took place on March 31.
According to Captain Frank Belcastro of the San Jose State University Police Department, the first fire occurred in a seventh-floor men’s restroom of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library. The fire was contained within a trash can and was promptly extinguished, resulting in minimal damage. Subsequently, on Monday, another trash-can fire was discovered in an eighth-floor men’s restroom at the same library. Investigators strongly believe that both fires were set by the same individual.
Security footage reveals a person of interest entering and exiting a restroom, seemingly after changing clothes, and holding a red lighter around the time of the initial fire on March 31. Authorities are seeking assistance in identifying this individual, described as a light-skinned person of unknown gender, aged between their late 20s and early 30s. The suspect has a medium build, stands between 5-foot-8 and 6 feet tall, and weighs approximately 150 to 180 pounds. At the time of the incident, the person was seen wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, mirrored sunglasses, a red tube top, dark blue pants, black shoes, and carrying a tan-strapped bag.
