A man accused of torching a motor home below an overpass, leaving a man with severe burns last month, has been taken into custody, Vallejo police announced Saturday.
Armed with an arrest warrant, Vallejo police took 39-year-old Joshua Bryan Anderson into custody at a homeless encampment near 330 Avian Drive in Vallejo on June 7, according to agency spokesperson Sgt. Rashad Hollis. A woman reported to Vallejo police that the person who allegedly set the fire had abducted her, forced her to use drugs, and sexually assaulted her.
Anderson was booked into the Solano County Jail on attempted murder, aggravated mayhem, rape, domestic violence, and assault with a deadly weapon charges.
A person living near the site of the mobile home fire told Open Vallejo that they have known Anderson for close to 10 years, and that he has battled severe mental illness. They spoke on condition of anonymity due to fears about retaliation.
The source described Anderson as an “emotional guy” who was prone to angry outbursts and acts of retaliation in the encampment. Though he could be very charismatic, they said, “that came with this ticking time bomb feel.” They said they were relieved that Anderson is in custody, claiming that the arson attempt was a retaliatory act against a man who had begun dating someone that Anderson had previously been involved with.
Investigators suspect Anderson of intentionally setting the victim’s motor home on fire under the I-80 overpass off Lincoln Road East on May 10. The man narrowly escaped, suffering life-threatening burns, according to dispatch audio and Vallejo police.
Last week’s arrest comes as unhoused people in Vallejo cope with a wave of loss and violence, following a triple shooting at a separate encampment on Memorial Day and the discovery of a burned body near the shooting site.
“It’s hard being out here,” said the individual who spoke on the condition of anonymity. “Some people feel like homeless people are expendable. Like, many of us don’t have family to ask questions when we disappear. There is a low chance anyone will come looking for us.”
Reached by phone Monday, Hollis said he had no updates on the condition of the alleged sexual assault victim or arson victim. Solano County Public Defender Elena D’Agustino did not respond to a request for comment.
