The Santa Clara District Attorney's office announced today that it had charged Daniel Catano with 10 separate counts of arson, all of which were committed across several locations within the county, as reported by KTVU's Henry Lee. The Santa Clara resident is accused of igniting fences, cars, garbage bins, businesses, and even a housing project, with local police departments and even CAL FIRE getting involved in his apprehension.
UPDATE: Daniel Catano, 32, arrested whelp by @piedmontcagov Capt. Chris Monahan on his way to work & @SCCoSheriff in spree of arson fires in Morgan Hill & Gilroy, per @MorganHillPD @GilroyPD. An alert neighbor informed me and 911,” Monahan tells me pic.twitter.com/iGxHtY7Uyu
— Henry K. Lee (@henrykleeKTVU) July 12, 2023
Police arrested 32-year-old Catano, who has allegedly confessed to setting up to 15 arson fires in southern Santa Clara County, on suspicion of multiple counts of arson as well as burglary, auto burglary, theft, resisting arrest, and possession of stolen property. The arrest comes after a series of suspicious fires in Morgan Hill and Gilroy since April.
The most significant of these fires was one in which a housing development on Depot Street in Morgan Hill was burned to the ground. Catano is also suspected of setting at least eight other fires in Gilroy and committing an auto burglary Monday in Morgan Hill. Witnesses observed him setting a fire Monday night at Hale Avenue and Llagas Road in Morgan Hill, which led to an extensive search and eventual assistance from multiple law enforcement agencies, including the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Department, San Jose Police Department, and Campbell Police Department.
This investigation remains ongoing, and anyone with information regarding these arson incidents is encouraged to get in touch with Detective Scott Martin of the Morgan Hill Police Department at (669) 253-4981 or via email at [email protected].
