Property owner says teens arrested in Gilbert arson came over to 'cause harm'

Corrections & Clarifications: A previous version of this article had an incorrect date for the fire.

The owner of a Gilbert property that went up in flames on July 3 says two teens arrested by police on a felony arson charge lit the fire in retaliation for being blocked on social media.

According to police, two unnamed minors were arrested and face charges on suspicion of arson of an occupied structure, a class 2 felony, and endangerment, which is typically a class 1 misdemeanor.

Shortly before 10 p.m. Wednesday, Gilbert fire and police responded to a structure fire in a neighborhood near Higley and Guadalupe roads, according to a police statement.

Responders found a large, "detached building" in flames. The fire was extinguished shortly after, according to police. There were no reported injuries, police added.

Jeni Jones, the property's owner, told The Arizona Republic the two teenagers whom police arrested "came over to harass and cause harm and scare my daughter" after she blocked them on social media. She believed the attack was retaliation, she said.

Replying to a Friday morning email, Gilbert fire Deputy Chief Michael Connor said: "At this time everything is still under investigation."

Maricopa County Attorney's Office spokeswoman Karla Navarrete on Friday morning said the case remains under review.

Property owner says suspects 'came over to harass and cause harm'

Jones told The Republic on Friday that the suspects were two teenage boys who had been released from juvenile detention. According to Jones, there were more than six boys involved in the attack. She said the group egged two vehicles before trespassing and throwing fireworks.

Jones said there were 10 children, including her daughter, the girl's cousin and eight of her friends in the loft when a "mortar" was thrown into the barn.

"Thankfully my daughter and friends exited out a different door and everyone is safe. It was intentional. The kids knew they weren't welcome at our home and were not invited over," Jones said.

The barn was often used to host events, Jones said. It featured an upstairs loft and a bottom portion of 2,400 square feet, where she stored thousands of dollars worth of craft supplies. Three cars and multiple other valuables were destroyed in the fire.

Jones said the two boys who were arrested had been harassing her daughter for weeks before the incident and sending her harmful messages. The boys were identified through their Snapchat locations, which were shared initially but turned off after the first firework hit.

About 9:40 p.m. Wednesday, the boys hopped the fence and threw a firework inside the barn, Jones said. When they went outside to check 10 minutes later, the boys were riding their bikes and cursing at her daughter, Jones said. The boys then threw a "mortar" at the barn knowing she was in it, Jones said, causing the door to bow outward and smoke to billow out.

Another child reached out to Jones' 18-year-old son with Ring camera footage of some of the same boys throwing fireworks at another home, Jones said.

Latest Gilbert incident follows 'Goons' violence

It appears to be the latest in teen violence to strike the southeast Valley town of Gilbert, following attacks by a group of mostly teenage males known as the "Gilbert Goons."

The Republic found 95 individuals involved in 18 Goons attacks between November 2022 and November 2023 as captured in cellphone video. There have been 18 people arrested in 10 attacks.

Police suspect Goons attacks culminated in the death of 16-year-old Preston Lord at a Halloween house party on Oct. 28 in Queen Creek. There were arrests of four adults and three minors in March in connection with the Lord case.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Property owner says teens arrested in Gilbert arson came over to 'cause harm'