Full Notification

Newark, California (Thursday, April 4th, 2024)

On Tuesday, April 2nd, 2024, around 11:33 am, Newark Police Officers responded to a report concerning a vegetation fire in the 36000 block of Cedar Blvd. Arriving within minutes, officers found witnesses who had extinguished a small fire.

Evidence at the scene pointed towards deliberate arson, targeting both vegetation and a set of stairs leading to a building. Fortunately, the resulting damage was minimal, and the building was vacant at the time. Witnesses mentioned a suspicious individual wearing all black clothing seen riding away on a bicycle at the time of the incident. As the investigation progressed, officers learned of similar reports of fires in the nearby City of Fremont, all involving a suspect fitting the same description.

Over the next hour and a half, Fremont Police and Fire services responded to multiple small fires within their jurisdiction. At approximately 1:30 pm, a Fremont sergeant, actively seeking the suspect, observed a man matching the description in the act of starting another fire. The sergeant intervened and detained the individual, later identified as Joseph Paulson, a 36-year-old Newark resident. Paulson was subsequently arrested on various arson-related charges.  There were no reported injuries from the fires in Fremont or Newark.

We would like to thank the Fremont Police, Alameda County Fire and our own officers for their quick response and thorough investigation which led to the arrest of the suspect.  We would also like to thank the witnesses whose quick action extinguishing the fires prevented further damage.  

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to please contact Sgt. Yama Homayoun via email at [email protected] or by phone at 510.578.4920.

Information can also be left anonymously on the “Anonymous Tip” hotline at 510.578.4965.