Would-Be Arsonist Runs Into the Wrong Celeb, Ends Up in Cuffs Moments Later
In Los Angeles, during a time of wildfires, actor Brian J. White and his neighbors confronted a stranger with a blowtorch who was attempting to ignite flammable materials outside his home.the incident escalated when White heard shouting and rushed out, discovering the man, later identified as Juan Manuel Sierra-Leyva, was trying to set items on fire, including an old Christmas tree. After the stranger became aggressive during questioning, White and his neighbors decided to make a citizen’s arrest until police arrived. Sierra-Leyva, an illegal immigrant with a history of criminal offenses, was eventually arrested for felony probation violation, but not for arson due to a lack of evidence. White credited his training from playing law enforcement roles in helping manage the situation and ensure safety until authorities arrived.
In the hellscape of the Los Angeles fires, a stranger with a blowtorch is an unwelcome sight.
A man reportedly spotted trying to ignite flammable trash outside the home of actor Brian J. White last week found out just how unwelcome he was after White and neighbors conducted a citizen’s arrest to hold the man until police arrived.
And he turned out to be an illegal alien with a criminal record in this country.
According to Deadline Hollywood, the entertainment-centric news site, White and fellow residents of the Woodland Hills neighborhood of L.A. were preparing in case they had to evacuate their homes to escape one of the fires torching the city.
‘Chicago Fire’ actor Brian J. White, neighbors sprung into action to take down illegal immigrant with ‘flamethrower’ near LA fires https://t.co/riPPBeqhHW pic.twitter.com/Veu1gS8omT
— New York Post (@nypost) January 15, 2025
White told the publication, he heard a tumult outside.
“We were packing up, and all of a sudden, out front of our house, I hear screaming, ‘Put it down, put it down,’” White said, according to Deadline.
“I thought somebody had a gun and my neighbor was in duress, so my daughter went and hid in the closet, and I went running upstairs to go outside and help my neighbor.”
Given the current circumstances in Los Angeles, what he found was almost worse than a man with a gun: a man holding a blowtorch.
The neighbor was shouting at the man after seeing him attempt to set White’s trash on fire, Deadline reported.
The neighbor had been chasing the man since seeing him attempt to light an old Christmas tree on fire earlier, according to Deadline.
But the man’s act was coming to a close.
White and his neighbors “backed the guy against our neighbor’s house that he was standing in front of, asking him why he was in the neighborhood,” the “Chicago Fire” actor told Deadline.
“He then became very aggressive about being asked what he was doing here,” White told Deadline. “He said he was looking for a place to hang out. And we’re like, ‘Well, this isn’t the place to hang out.’”
Knowing the police had been called, White said he and his neighbors were going to let the cops handle it, but the stranger “became more aggressive, so we said, ‘We’re making a citizen’s arrest.’”
“Two of our neighbors work on cars in the garages; they had zip ties in one garage and little bit of rope in another garage,” White told Deadline. “So we took him down, detained him, and waited for the police.”
The man was identified by the New York Post as Juan Manuel Sierra-Leyva, 33.
In a statement, Immigration and Customs Enforcement described Sierra as “a Mexican national who entered the U.S. unlawfully at an unknown date and location without inspection by an immigration official.”
He has had “multiple encounters with law enforcement from November 2016 to present for a variety of charges and was convicted of assault with a deadly weapon Oct. 10, 2023, in Van Nuys, California,” the statement said.
As an actor, 49-year-old White has played law enforcement characters numerous times, Deadline noted. Some of the research into playing those roles paid off in this case, he said.
“It was more a hostage negotiating training,” he told Deadline.
“I’ve gone on a lot of police ride-alongs over the years, and one of the main things they talk about is staying calm and communicating. So I was trying to clearly communicate to the gentleman that I don’t really care for an explanation.
“He’s standing on my property with an ignited blowtorch, so I’m just going to make sure that he waits until the police come.”
But some things couldn’t wait.
“We needed to find out if he had any weapons on him, if we were in danger,” White told Deadline. “We tried to stay calm, and then when it got physical, we tried to make sure that it was quick, which is why we asked for other neighbors to help us with ropes and zip ties.
“So yeah, I am thankful for everybody that’s ever trained me in police work and fire work and fighting to be prepared for moments like that.”
The man with the blowtorch, who had allegedly been seen trying to ignite fires in an area already blazing with deadly infernos, couldn’t officially be charged with arson due to lack of evidence, according to Deadline.
Sierra was arrested on a charge of felony probation violation, according to the ICE statement.
He has been placed on an immigration detainer, the statement said.
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