Two Arrested For San Mateo Arson, Police Say

SAN MATEO, CA — Two people were arrested this week for allegedly setting a car on fire in San Mateo following a family argument in December, police say. The duo is accused of dousing a woman's car in gasoline and lighting it ablaze on Dec. 28.

According to San Mateo Police, the victim had an argument with her stepsister, Amber Gonser, and Gosner's boyfriend, Kristopher Jones, about a week previous to the fire.

"Since then, the victim told police Gonser had been harassing her," police said in a news release.

The alleged harassment culminated around 2 a.m. on the 28th, when San Mateo police were called to a car on fire in the 100 block of North Idaho Street.

"According to surveillance footage obtained by police, Jones had broken the car’s rear passenger window and poured gasoline inside from a plastic jug," police said. "Gonser then approached the car and ignited the fire before quickly fleeing the scene. Police later recovered the plastic jug left behind close to the car."

On January 8, police searched Gonser and Jones' home in the 100 block of Fell Street in San Francisco and found a gas station nearby that had surveillance footage of Gonser and Jones filling a plastic jug with gasoline just one hour before the fire, police said.

Police subsequently arrested the couple on suspicion of arson and took them to the San Mateo County jail, according to police.

— Car image via SMPD, booking photos courtesy San Mateo County Sheriff's Office / Bay City News Service contributed to this report