Fremont arson suspect arrested after garage doors, car set on fire – CBS San Francisco

FREMONT (CBS SF) – Fremont police arrested an arson suspect Tuesday morning who allegedly tried to set the garage doors of several apartment buildings on fire after detonating a car, according to authorities.

Detectives arrested 44-year-old Roshan Patel after a series of 4 garage door fires last week. Detectives watched Patel watch him set a vehicle on fire this morning. He was arrested walking back to his vehicle: https: //t.co/fSwlETFNMC pic.twitter.com/MJW6E4dUpS

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– Fremont Police Department (@FremontPD) December 8, 2020

Police said the suspect, identified as 44-year-old Fremont-born Rosont Patel, was taken into custody early Tuesday morning while trying to set fire to a car. Undercover detectives monitored Patel, who was suspected of being involved in at least four residential garage door fires that had occurred since December 1, according to a press release.

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The first fire was lit in a house on Castro Lane, police said. There have been three subsequent fires attributed to the same suspect: one on December 4th in a residence on Cougar Circle, a second on December 6th on Hoyt Street, and a third on the same day on Cougar Circle in the same residence, on the two Days earlier.

Fremont officials located private camera footage in residential areas that provided a general description of the suspicious vehicle. The detectives then matched this footage with the community camera network, which then provided a license plate for the suspicious vehicle.

Detectives were on Patel early Tuesday morning when he led her to the same house he’d targeted on Hoyt Street at around 2:45 a.m. Detectives saw Patel get out of his vehicle and pour a liquid on a parked vehicle.

Police tried to contact Patel before he could ignite the vehicle, but he was able to set the vehicle on fire. Authorities were able to arrest the suspect as he ran back to his vehicle and put out the car’s fire with a nearby garden hose.

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Patel was arrested for arson and posted to Fremont City Jail. Detectives discovered that Patel knew at least one of the residents he targeted in his arson attacks.