24-year-old Eun “Esther” Cha has been arrested as a suspect in the setting of up to 28 fires in Fullerton since September, according to the O.C. Register.
Local authorities have been asking for tips from the public after discovering fires in public places including garbage bins, mailboxes, bushes and even an automobile.
The Fullerton Police Department had considered Cha as a possible suspect after the police started to conduct surveillance and noted that Cha was involved in certain patterns.
This Sunday, early in the morning at 2:50 a.m., Cha was seen by the police as she was at the 1200 block of North Gilbert Street. This is where many of the past fires had been set. This time Cha was trying, unsuccessfully, to start a fire in a large trash bin. She then allegedly tried to set fire to bushes under an electrical panel at a nearby apartment complex. Again she failed.
The police officers finally arrested Cha, who admitted to having set many fires in the area in the past. She was charged with arson and she was also in possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia. She is being held in lieu of a $1 million bond.
If you have any information about the fires or Cha please call Sgt. Kathryn Hamel at 714-738-5336. You may also make an anonymous call to the Orange County Crime Stoppers at 855-TIP-OCCS or visit occrimestoppers.org.