Arson Suspect Nearly Lights Own Face on Fire Outside California Target Store

Police in California are seeking the public’s help identifying an arson suspect captured on video nearly lighting his own face on fire while setting a blaze at a Target store.

The San Rafael Police Department released surveillance video on Tuesday that shows the suspect near an entrance to a Target store at around 11:57 p.m. on Monday. The suspect, wearing a grey hoodie and a backpack, carries a plastic bag with trash and what appears to be a cardboard takeout container to a trash can positioned in a semi-enclosed area just outside a door into the store.

The suspect can be seen setting the plastic bag down in front of the door, then pouring accelerant on the bag, the ground, the inside and outside of the trash can and on the cardboard container, then throwing the bottle of liquid into the trash can. The suspect then lights the cardboard container on fire and puts it into the trash can.

At that moment, it appears the fire doesn’t catch quickly enough for the suspect, so the arsonist reaches farther into the trash can, apparently to push the cardboard container down. Large flames suddenly burst out of the trash can’s opening, straight into the suspect’s face.

The suspect quickly jumps back, then appears to limp away. Police say it’s possible the suspect may have been injured.

The fire caused more than $2,500 in damage to the building, police said.

Police are asking anyone with information about the incident to come forward or submit an anonymous tip. Police say members of the public should not approach the “highly dangerous” suspect.

—TMX contributed to this report