Press Release: Small Fires Set in Succession in Fremont and Newark
On April 2, 2024, at approximately 11:45 a.m., Fremont PD officers and Fremont Fire personnel responded to the area of Thornton Ave and Balboa Way to the report of a piece of furniture on fire. Witnesses provided officers with a description of the suspect. While officers were on scene, they learned that just minutes prior to the start of the fire in Fremont, Newark PD responded to a fire in the 36600 block of Cedar Blvd. The fire in Newark caused damage to a set of stairs that led to a building. The building was not occupied at the time. A passerby was able to extinguish the fire before it spread beyond the stairs.
Approximately twenty minutes after the first reported fire in Fremont, another piece of furniture was found on fire in the 35000 block of Fremont Blvd. Over the next hour and a half, Fremont PD officers and Fremont Fire personnel responded to several additional small fires in the north part of Fremont. Witnesses at the fire scenes provided the same general description of the suspect.
At approximately 1:30 p.m., a Fremont PD sergeant was searching for the arson suspect when he observed smoke coming from the area of Thornton Ave. and I-880. The sergeant immediately drove to the area and located the suspect, actively starting another fire in a wooded area adjacent to the roadway. The suspect, identified as Joseph Paulson (36 years old, resident of Newark), was contacted and arrested. Fremont PD and Newark PD detectives interviewed Paulson at the Fremont Police Department. Fremont PD ultimately arrested Paulson for two counts of Penal Code 451(d) – Arson of property. Newark PD arrested Paulson for Penal Code 451(d) and Penal Code 453(a) – Possession of a flammable material with intent to set fire to a structure.
There were no reported injuries from the fires in Fremont or Newark. The damage caused by the Fremont fires was primarily contained to vegetation, abandoned property, and garbage.
The response and investigation into the fires set in Fremont and Newark was a collaborative effort between the Fremont Police Department, Fremont Fire Department, Newark Police Department, and Alameda County Fire Department.
We want to thank the community for their assistance in reporting suspicious activity.
See something and say something. Please report suspicious activities by calling (510) 790-6800, option 3. You can also send us an anonymous tip by texting "Tip FREMONTPD" followed by your message, to 888-777. In an emergency, please dial 911.
Incident: Small Fires Set in Succession in the North End of Fremont and in Newark
Date of Incident: April 2, 2024
Location: Area North of Thornton Avenue
Media Contact: [email protected]
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