A 24-year-old Phoenix man is sitting in Maricopa County jail on a $400,000 bond after police say he doused his former girlfriend in gasoline and set her on fire following their breakup. Angel Anthony Nahle was booked into custody early Wednesday, and the woman survived the attack with several burns.
According to Arizona's Family, Nahle sent the woman threats after she ended their relationship, then went to her apartment near 27th Avenue and Bethany Home Road, where he allegedly threw gasoline on her and set her ablaze. Jail records published by Recently Booked show Nahle was booked by Phoenix Police at 3:33 a.m. Wednesday under Booking ID G275739, facing two counts of aggravated assault along with charges of stalking, threatening or intimidating, and aggravated domestic violence.
Police say the alleged attack happened after the couple's breakup in May. The 27th Avenue and Bethany Home Road corridor in west-central Phoenix has drawn frequent law enforcement attention in recent months, including a late-night shooting in June that left four young men hospitalized, according to a report from 12News.
What the Charges Could Mean
The aggravated domestic violence charge against Nahle carries particular legal weight. Under Arizona Revised Statutes § 13-3601.02, that charge is classified as a Class 5 felony when a person commits a third or subsequent domestic violence offense within an 84-month window, according to the DM Cantor Criminal Law Practice, and it carries a mandatory minimum of four to eight months in jail before a defendant becomes eligible for probation or release.
The aggravated assault counts also carry steep exposure. Arizona Revised Statutes § 13-1204 classifies aggravated assault as a Class 2 felony when the act causes serious physical injury or involves a deadly weapon or dangerous instrument, per the Shouse Law Group, with convictions for first-time offenders carrying prison terms ranging from three to 12.5 years. The stalking charge, meanwhile, falls under Arizona Revised Statutes § 13-2923 as a Class 3 felony carrying up to 8.75 years in prison when a suspect's repeated conduct causes a victim to reasonably fear death, the Tamou Law Group notes.
A Pattern Across the Valley
Nahle's case echoes other recent domestic violence incidents involving fire and accelerants across the Phoenix area. In June, Hoodline reported that a Surprise ex-boyfriend was arrested after allegedly dousing a residential property in gasoline and setting it ablaze following a domestic dispute. Arson of an occupied structure is separately prosecuted as its own Class 2 felony under Arizona law.
The Maricopa County Attorney's Office highlighted a similar case this month, an arson conviction involving an accelerant attack on an apartment door, noting that survivors of such attacks can access financial support for medical and relocation expenses through Arizona's Crime Victim Compensation Program. Gasoline-fueled attacks have carried severe consequences in Phoenix courts before: the Associated Press reported in May that Arizona scheduled the execution of an inmate convicted of dousing a man in gasoline and setting him on fire during a 2002 apartment dispute in north Phoenix, a case Arizona courts have classified as especially cruel under state capital punishment statutes.
County Data Underscores the Danger
The case also lands amid sobering countywide figures on domestic violence. A Maricopa County Board of Supervisors proclamation passed in October 2025 found that 61 Arizonans died in domestic violence-related homicides in 2024, with 56% of those fatal incidents occurring within Maricopa County. The county has since allocated more than $10 million to expand domestic violence victim shelter capacity and legal assistance.
Phoenix Police have also updated their internal tracking systems this year specifically to follow strangulation, stalking, and coercive threat cases, according to a report from YourValley.net, an effort aimed at improving victim follow-up and case prosecution. The department also operates a dedicated Family Advocacy Center that provides victim advocate services during active criminal investigations.
It remains unclear how extensive the woman's long-term medical recovery will be, whether prosecutors will pursue additional charges such as attempted first-degree murder, or when Nahle's initial appearance and preliminary hearing will be scheduled.
