The fire in America’s forests has been wreaking havoc for the last 7 days. At least 24 people have died in this tragedy and lakhs of people have been displaced and about 12 thousand buildings have been damaged.
Amid this, on social media, a video of security personnel apprehending an individual has gone viral. While sharing the video, users wrote, “ Bhuvesh Patel (Hindu) was caught trying to start a fire with a torch blower for looting in areas devastated by fires, Woodland Hills, CA.”
Moreover, several users shared this video and made similar claims. The link can be seen here, here and here
Fact Check
During the investigation, DFRAC found the claim to be false. We found multiple media reports regarding this news. According to a ‘Times Now’ report, which carried a similar image from the video published on January 13, 2025, “The man detained by residents and arrested by police near the Kenneth Fire in West Hills, identified as Juan Manuel Sierra-Leyva, has been confirmed by ICE sources as an illegal alien from Mexico, according to multiple posts on the social media site X. He is in custody on a probation violation & has NOT been charged with arson yet.”
Moreover, we found a report from ‘New York Post’ published on January 13, 2025 mentioning “The homeless man tackled and zip-tied by onlookers who say he was trying to start fires with a blowtorch near a Los Angeles wildfire is an illegal immigrant who will likely be protected by California’s sanctuary city status, according to sources. The suspect is Juan Manuel Sierra-Leyva, a Mexican national who is in the United States illegally, sources told The Post.
Furthermore, we also found a report from ‘Livemint’ published on January 14, 2025, which states, “A man arrested last week in the Los Angeles area, where a series of destructive wildfires have been raging, has been identified as Juan Manuel Sierra-Leyva, a Mexican national residing in the US illegally, according to a news report.”
The Media report carried a screengrab that was similar to one of the key-frames from the viral video.
Conclusion
It is evident from DFRAC’s fact check that the individual shown in the viral video is Juan Manuel Sierra-Leyva from Mexico, and not Bhuvesh Patel, Indian. Therefore, the claim made by social media users is misleading.
