SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) – At a news conference Tuesday, Santa Clara County Attorney Jeff Rosen identified a suspect arrested for allegedly setting fire to a massive 5-alarm fire at a home depot in San Jose on April 9th. The fire destroyed a building and caused more than $ 17 million in damage and lost goods.
DA Rosen said that using a warrant, the SJPD arrested Dyllin Jaycruz Gogue, 27, of San Jose on Friday, April 15.
During his first court appearance Tuesday, prosecutors cited the theft as the real motive behind the fire that burned the Blossom Hill Road Home Depot.
“Evidence shows that the suspect – who stole items from a nearby Bass Pro Shop earlier that day – set fire to a Home Depot fire and tried to leave the store with a cart containing stolen tools,” DA Rosen told reporters.
VIDEO: Video shows pets fleeing safety during SJ Home Depot fire
Rosen said Gog allegedly started a fire on the aisle, tried to leave with a cart of tools and left in a vehicle.
As the crowded 11,000-square-foot building burned, Rosen said Gog continued his attempted theft at East Bay Macy’s.
“Miraculously, no one was injured in this five-alarm fire, which was so hot and so big … far, too close to causing many injuries and deaths,” he said, causing an estimated $ 17 million in inventory loss.
This is the suspect, Dyllin Jaycruz Gogue, 27 of San Jose. Santa Clara’s prosecutor’s office says he lit a fire in a driveway while trying to steal tools. He is now facing arson and related charges. DA says it caused about $ 17 million in inventory damage alone. pic.twitter.com/iudk8eyj3X
– Zach Fuentes (@ ZachFuentesABC7) April 19, 2022
“Within days, investigators from the San Jose Police Department and the ATF had a suspect using an order. San Jose police arrested Gog on Friday, April 15, less than two weeks after his horrific reckless and criminal behavior left Home Depot with a burnt shell. “
Gogh has been charged with arson, seven counts of grand theft and three counts of petty theft, according to Rosen. These are accusations that could put Gog in prison for 14 years.
“It is certainly arson in the sense that he apparently set it on fire,” legal analyst and former prosecutor Stephen Clark told ABC7 News. “The question remains whether it was a severe arson – that he intended to burn down the Home Depot, or to put many people in danger. Or did he just intend to disrupt security?
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Clark judged the man’s alleged behavior. Court documents show that between October 2021 and April 2022, Gog was suspected of involvement in a number of thefts. Documents describe in detail that he stole goods from various companies worth $ 270 to more than $ 5,000.
“He seems to have committed a number of thefts and has been doing so for a long time, but that doesn’t necessarily make him an arsonist,” Clark said. “And I think people will ask why this fire started in such a small way – obviously to disrupt security – but then it became what we saw happen so quickly.
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“It’s difficult, without all the information still available – how exactly this fire was lit and then how quickly it spread. So, there may be enough combustible substances in an area to overcome the ratings of fire protection systems, “San Jose Fire Chief Robert Sapien Jr. told reporters.
He went on to say that it was possible to have such a fire, even in a protected structure.
“We are still working to find out exactly what the condition of the building’s fire protection systems is,” the chief said.
Witnesses who spoke to ABC7 News said there was no immediate fire alarm and no signs of active sprinklers. The fire department said everything was being investigated.
“We watched the ceiling fall into flames before an alarm went off,” said Jeff Baham, who was inside during the blaze. “Barely three minutes after we left, this huge stream of smoke rushed forward, and then we all knew it was time to leave.”
“In this case, if it’s really true, there’s no suppression in the sprinkler systems … It’s like what happened?” Was it overloaded? Wasn’t that enough? Or was it excluded? “I think these are the things that the fire department – now with the help of the ATF – will come out and be present at some point,” said Harold Chapelhumann, the park’s fire chief.
He added: “You can overload sprinkler systems – and we’ve seen this before in large storage facilities – which means the fire is getting so big, the sprinkler system’s ability isn’t there to put it out. So this is a design problem, this is a combustible load problem, this is a code problem. And these are all real factors. “
When that time came, he said that what was eventually identified could lead to widespread improvements.
“It’s not like it’s the only Home Depot in the country, is it?” He added. “No one is looking to duplicate that.”
Gog appeared in court on Tuesday afternoon and was assigned a public defender. His next court hearing is on June 1 at 1:30 p.m.
ABC7 News turned to Home Depot after development on Tuesday. The company issued a statement saying: “We owe a great debt of gratitude to the first responders, the San Jose Fire Department, the police and partner organizations for the rapid response and investigation that led to this arrest. Above all, we are grateful that no one was hurt and that all our associates and clients are safe and responsible. We thank our staff for their quick action and courage in evacuating the building quickly, ensuring that no one was injured. ”
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