A serial arsonist who allegedly set eight fires in the Sherman Oaks area in one day has been arrested, according to Los Angeles police.
On October 20, around 10:30 p.m., the Los Angeles Fire Department responded to a series of vehicle, structure and trash fires in the area of ​​Ventura Boulevard and Moorpark Street.
An investigation revealed that a Van Nuys man in his 40s was responsible for the fires.
On December 18, 42-year-old Ricardo Villanueva was arrested for an unrelated traffic violation by Van Nuys police officers, and Villanueva was recognized by the officers on a wanted flyer from Major Crimes Division detectives.
Villanueva was arrested for arson of a structure and arson of personal property.
The October fires involved a green Jeep Cherokee, a tan Chevy pickup, a black Infinite sedan, a blue Hyundai sedan and a black Audi sedan, all along Moorpark Street. Then, as he continued toward Ventura Boulevard, the suspect is believed to have started a mattress/structure fire and two dumpster fires, according to an LAPD map.
The suspect also allegedly started a garbage fire on Ventura Boulevard on October 19, and on an unspecified date he was caught on surveillance video allegedly starting a garbage can fire on Hartsook Street.
