Woman Arrested For Allegedly Starting 28 Fires in Orange County

February 21, 2017

Police have arrested 24-year-old Eun “Esther” Cha who they say is responsible for setting at least 28 fires in Fullerton, California, since September 2016.

Officers arrested Cha on Sunday on suspicion of arson after they caught her trying to start two more fires in the 1200 block of North Gilbert Street, according to KTLA.

She allegedly attempted to set a trash can on fire around 3:50 a.m PST, and when that didn’t work, she moved on to trying to light up bushes underneath an electric panel attached to an apartment building, the Fullerton Police Department said.

Fullerton Sgt. Jon Radus said Cha admitted to setting multiple fires in the area in the past, including garbage bins, mailboxes, bushes and even a car.

“We started conducting surveillance and identified certain patterns,” Radus told the Orange County Register.

He added that she was also in possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia.

Cha is being held on $1 million bail. Police have not released any further details and said that the investigation is ongoing.

She was scheduled to be arraigned in Central Jail Court on Wednesday, according to Orange County jail records.

Authorities have asked anyone with more information about the fires to call Sgt. Kathryn Hamel at (714) 738-5336.

Those who want to stay anonymous can call Orange County Crime Stoppers at 855-TIP-OCCS or visit occrimestoppers.org.

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