Advertisement

Moorpark man accused of setting wife on fire is arrested

Share

A Moorpark man who allegedly doused his wife with gasoline and set her on fire then fled before authorities arrived called police and turned himself in Thursday night.

About 8:45 p.m. Juan Soria Hernandez, 31, called Bakersfield police and told them he was in town and wanted to turn himself in.

“At the time, we didn’t know what he wanted to turn himself in for,” said Bakersfield police Lt. Jason Matson.

Advertisement

But after police checked his name against their records, they saw he was wanted for attempted murder in Ventura County and sent officers to arrest him, Matson said.

“The degree of violence that he’s inflicted on her, obviously he’s a dangerous individual,” said Ventura County Sheriff’s Department Sgt. Denise Silva.

On Monday, Hernandez’s 29-year-old wife called 911 in a panic and told dispatchers her husband was trying to set her on fire.

But by the time deputies and firefighters got to the couple’s home, Hernandez was gone, the bathroom was in flames and Hernandez’s wife was outside the home, conscious but suffering from “significant” burns to her body, Silva said.

The woman was rushed to a local hospital and survived. A court date for Hernandez has not been set.

For breaking California news, follow @JosephSerna.

Advertisement
Advertisement