LA wildfire ‘arsonist’ tackled by hero locals revealed as blowtorch-wielding illegal immigrant Juan Manuel Sierra-Leyva
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THE LA wildfire suspected arsonist that was tackled by heroic locals has been named by ICE sources as illegal immigrant Juan Manuel Sierra-Levya. After getting tackled and restrained with zip ties by residents, a man thought to be Sierra-Levya was arrested close to where the Kenneth Fire erupted on Thursday.
![[Video still of a man being apprehended by another man.]](https://www.the-sun.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2025/01/foxla-exclusively-obtained-video-man-962824763_bc54a5.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
Authorities are treating the area as a crime scene as flames continue to rip across more than 1,000 acres. The man captured in the viral video being confronted and seized allegedly wielding a blowtorch is an illegal immigrant from Mexico, ICE sources told Fox News.
![[Video of bystanders tackling a man carrying a blowtorch.]](https://www.the-sun.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2025/01/foxla-exclusively-obtained-video-man-962824766_6a4405.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
LA cops took the man into custody after the group of residents managed to get hold of him near the deadly Kenneth Fire. ICE sources said the man's name is Juan Manuel Sierra-Levya and claims he is in custody due to a probation violation. He has not been charged with arson and it remains unknown if he may have started one of the most recent wildfires that razed LA.
![[Man arrested by police.]](https://www.the-sun.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2025/01/grabs-taken-without-permission-suspected-962796248.jpg?strip=all&w=508)
ICE intends to put a detainer request on the man, which means ICE would be notified on any release so he can be transferred into their custody and potentially deported. But they don't expect it it to be honored as California is dubbed a "sanctuary" state that largely limits local and state law enforcement cooperation with the agency.
![[Illustration comparing the size of the Palisades fire in Los Angeles to London.]](https://www.the-sun.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2025/01/DD-13-01-wild-fire-map-london-comparison-v2_GRAPHIC.webp?strip=all&w=620)
Dramatic footage shows the suspect - still gripping a blowtorch - arguing with a man in the street. More residents then help restrain him before he is hauled to the ground. They then used zip ties to hold him before police arrived. Residents said they had spotted a man riding around on a bike gripping a blowtorch.
![[Yellow canister on the ground near a car's exhaust pipe.]](https://www.the-sun.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2025/01/grabs-taken-without-permission-suspected-962796809_354797.jpg?strip=all&w=448)
