Teen suspect arrested after string of car arsons rocks Fort Worth neighborhood
A 17-year-old suspect has been arrested after the Fort Worth Fire Department and police investigated a series of car arsons in the city.
Five car fires occurred between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day in neighborhoods near Fox Run Park, and investigators have reason to believe the blazes are linked, the Fire Department told the Star-Telegram.
The suspect, 17-year-old Evan Quinn Banda, was arrested Thursday in connection with the fires and booked at the Fort Worth police jail facility on suspicion of five counts of arson.
The Fire Department released more details about the investigation and the arrest at a joint news conference with police on Friday afternoon. Interim Fire Chief Ray Hill, Police Chief Eddie Garcia and members of the FWFD Arson and Bomb Unit spoke to the media at 12:30 p.m. at the Bob Bolen Public Safety Complex.
Banda declined to speak to investigators about his method or motive for the crimes, Fort Worth Fire Department Battalion Chief David Jones said.
Investigators noted several similarities in the series of fires, Jones said. All but one of the fires were started on corner lots, all the vehicles were parked on the curb alongside a house, and all the vehicles were older models or dilapidated.
Banda allegedly entered every vehicle by breaking the windows, and started each fire inside the cars.
Investigators noted that identifying Banda as the suspect was difficult because he traveled to and from each scene on foot, after nightfall, Jones said. That left police without license plate or vehicle information to take note of.
For 10 days, detectives canvassed the neighborhood, knocking on doors, interviewing residents and downloading security camera footage, Jones said.
Additionally, Banda recorded and posted video of each arson on social media, according to an affidavit supporting a warrant for his arrest.
The site of each vehicle fire was a mile or less from Banda’s residence, and investigators were able to identify him using security camera footage from the route to his home, according to the affidavit.
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The first fire occurred Dec. 24 on Swift Creek Drive.
The second fire was early on the morning of Dec. 26 in the 3100 block of Winoak Drive, where an older model pickup truck that a man inherited from his grandfather was burned, according to an investigator’s report. Fire Department investigators determined the truck had been left unlocked and the fire was set inside the passenger compartment.
In another case, Michelle Barrera, who lives in the Poynter Crossing neighborhood near the park in far southwest Fort Worth, told KDFW-TV that her son’s car was targeted on early on Dec. 28 on Thoroughbred Trail.
Security video footage posted to Barrera’s Facebook page shows someone igniting and stoking flames inside the car, then fleeing before the vehicle is engulfed and eventually explodes.
The blaze caused two explosions and took several hours to put out because of flammable magnesium in the car, Barrera told KDFW.
The individual responsible for the fires, since identified as Banda, appeared to be filming the incident and remained in the area, Barrera wrote on Facebook.
The final two fires were reported Dec. 31 on Fox Meadow and Jan. 1 on Orleans Lane.
Banda will be charged as an adult, authorities said. On Friday, he was transferred to the Tarrant County Jail. Bond has not been set, and it’s unclear whether he has a defense attorney in the case.
This story was originally published January 9, 2026 at 11:38 AM.
