South Bay Arson Suspect Arrested

SARATOGA, CA – Just over a year after a South Bay woman was found bound and gagged inside a burning Saratoga office building, she was arrested on suspicion of arson and stealing more than $600,000 from her employer and various financial institutions.

Janice Carlstrom, 74 of San Jose, was found tied up and had a broken nose and a cut on the back of her head when firefighters arrived about 9 a.m. Nov. 4, 2019 to the burning offices of Pollack Investments, 14500 Big Basin Way, in Saratoga, the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office said Friday.

Carlstrom told authorities at the time that an unknown assailant came up from behind her and duct-taped her eyes and mouth closed but said she did not have a memory of anything else related to the assault until she was awoken by fire sprinklers and being helped by firefighters.

She suffered injuries that required hospitalization.

The sheriff's office began investigating and found that Carlstrom had allegedly stolen more than $44,000 from her employer, Pollack Investments.

More fraud was also discovered that allegedly involved Carlstrom, totaling more than $580,000 from multiple financial institutions, the sheriff's office said.

The suspect's thumbprint was reportedly found on a critical piece of evidence involving the arson and the county crime laboratory also confirmed the accelerant that burned several items at the crime scene.

When Carlstrom was interviewed this week by sheriff's detectives, she admitted making fraudulent payments and setting the fire to conceal evidence, according to the Sheriff's office.

She also confessed to making up a story about being assaulted by an unknown suspect, authorities said.

The investigation is ongoing, the sheriff's office said.

Carlstrom was arrested Thursday and booked into the Santa Clara County Jail on suspicion of arson, embezzlement and forgery.

— Bay City News and Patch editor Gideon Rubin contributed to this report