Arrest Made In Pasadena Serial Arson Case

PASADENA, CA — A 45-year-old man is facing multiple counts of arson for allegedly setting a series of outdoor fires along the Foothill Boulevard Corridor between Sierra Madre Villa Avenue in Pasadena and the Los Angeles County Arboretum in Arcadia.

Nigel Letren was arrested about 3 a.m. Sunday by police in San Marino, according to Lisa Derderian of the Pasadena Fire Department.

The arson spree occurred on the evening of Jan. 13, Derderian said.

"Firefighters from (Pasadena and Arcadia) responded and quickly extinguished the fires," she said.

"Investigation into the causes of the fires determined that they were intentionally set. Officers from the Pasadena and Arcadia police departments and the California Highway Patrol responded to the area to search for the person (or persons) responsible, but were unable to identify or locate the suspect."

The fires were investigated by San Gabriel Valley region's Verdugo Fire Investigation Task Force, which eventually identified the suspect.

In addition to the fires set on Jan. 13, Letren is also suspected of setting a fire on Dec. 9 in Monrovia, Derderian said.

Letren was jailed in lieu of $425,000 bail and is next due in court in Pasadena on Feb. 15, according to sheriff's inmate records.

City News Service; Photo: Shutterstock