This browser does not support the Video element.
11 cars set ablaze in San Jose; authorities probe possible serial arsonist
San Jose police and arson investigators are probing a string of vehicle fires, including 11 cars torched at five locations along the Highway 87 corridor early Tuesday morning between midnight and 1:30 a.m.
SAN JOSE, Calif. - San Jose police on Monday announced they have arrested a 30-year-old unhoused man who they described as a serial arsonist.
In a news release, police identified the man as Jose Rodriguez-Barragan who allegedly torched nearly a dozen cars throughout the city last month.
Police said analysts reviewed hours of surveillance footage, while officers canvassed neighborhoods and reinterviewed multiple victims and witnesses, leading them to Rodriguez-Barragan as the primary suspect and obtained a warrant for his arrest.
Jose Rodriguez-Barragan. Photo: SJPD
Police said Rodriguez-Barragan is believed to be responsible for starting approximately five fires on Jan. 21, and approximately six fires on Jan. 27.
Police arrested Rodriguez-Barragan on Friday and booked him into the Santa Clara County Main Jail for arson, drug charges, and multiple outstanding warrants.
"Acts of arson put lives at risk and threaten the safety of entire neighborhoods," SJPD Chief Paul Joseph said in a statement. "This case highlights the importance of collaboration across agencies and the critical role of technology in identifying suspects and holding them accountable."
SJFD Fire Chief Robert Sapien added that these fires "created a significant threat to public safety and to our responding firefighters."
It was not immediately clear when Rodriguez-Barragan would be arraigned. A search of online jail records did not show anyone by that name still in custody on Monday.
Efforts to reach him immediately were not successful on Monday.