Does anyone know if the police ever arrested the identities and pictures of the two teenagers who were found guilty of setting homes in Redwood City, CA on fire then filming it while horrifically snarling at it? I know it was a 17 year old and 19 year old, but does anyone know the identities? I am sure there are lots of others that would like to know too.

Because the arsonist(s ?) was a juvenile at the time, the identity was kept confidential.

Because the arsonist(s ?) was a juvenile at the time, the identity was kept confidential.

I hate to say this, but for all we know they may be repeat offenders on Unsolved Mysteries and we just don't know it, yet. :(

I hope the best for those kids, but every serious criminal starts somewhere....:(

That case was SO scary, what with the satanism and scary voices on the video. I always wondered why they threw the stuff on the side of the road instead of destroying the tape?

LOOK AT IT OMAR!

I SAID I'D DO IT! I SAID I'D DOOO ITTTT!

AHH-HA-HAAA-HAAAA!


:p

That case was SO scary, what with the satanism and scary voices on the video. I always wondered why they threw the stuff on the side of the road instead of destroying the tape?

I always thought that Beavis and Butthead (my pet name for the arsonists) wanted the tape to be found so people would see it and think they were bada**.

The tape was found exactly one year, to the day, after the fire was set.

That case was SO scary, what with the satanism and scary voices on the video. I always wondered why they threw the stuff on the side of the road instead of destroying the tape?

I doubt they just threw it on the side of the road. I think they were walking around that area probably exploring for more places to set on fire, then they were almost caught trying to set another one, or because they looked suspicous, then accidentally left the stuff behind in a hurry.

Some TV show aired footage that the one kid had of himself and the inside of his house. I vaguely recall it, but judging by the stuff he had lying around, that dude has serious issues.

I think he's the one who was sent to the psychiatric hospital as his sentence for the arsons. I don't know what happened to the other kid.

Seems like the juvenile didn't have his name released because of his age, and the other one didn't have his name released because of his mental health condition. Something like that...

I doubt they just threw it on the side of the road. I think they were walking around that area probably exploring for more places to set on fire, then they were almost caught trying to set another one, or because they looked suspicous, then accidentally left the stuff behind in a hurry.

If I remember correctly the tape was wrapped in a military jacket. That would indicate that they wanted the tape preserved.

There is no doubt in my mind that the placement of the tape was intentional.

I know this was not the reaction they were hoping for but, if you think about it, it really is a cry for help on some level.

This was also featured on Cold Case Files. Really pissed me off the way the authorities were all like...

"oh these poor kids, we just want to help them so they can turn their lives around blah blah blah"

PUH-LEASE. They were a couple of sick freaks who should've been done away with. Hey did anyone here commit habitual arson when they were 17? I didn't. It was absolutely pathetic the way those losers were treated as innocent victims.

A more just punishment would've been for the arsonist to be lit on fire. Wouldn't that be fun? And then someone could videotape and say "Look at it Omar! I said I'd do it! aaaaaaah!" as those two morons writhed around burning to death.

That would have been a better idea than saying "oooh poor babies!"

What say you?

This was also featured on Cold Case Files. Really pissed me off the way the authorities were all like...

"oh these poor kids, we just want to help them so they can turn their lives around blah blah blah"

PUH-LEASE. They were a couple of sick freaks who should've been done away with. Hey did anyone here commit habitual arson when they were 17? I didn't. It was absolutely pathetic the way those losers were treated as innocent victims.

A more just punishment would've been for the arsonist to be lit on fire. Wouldn't that be fun? And then someone could videotape and say "Look at it Omar! I said I'd do it! aaaaaaah!" as those two morons writhed around burning to death.

That would have been a better idea than saying "oooh poor babies!"

Your acting like they murdered someone. :rolleyes:

They committed arson. Not murder, manslaughter, or rape.

In my opinion the punishment and treatement of the boys was approriate for the crime.

Such venom needs to be saved for people like Brad Bishop and Richard Bockledge.

I guess the punishment for them seems reasonable

No, they luckily didn't hurt anyone but they very easily could have; namely, the firefighters who put their lives on the line for the sake of their psycho delinquent behavior. I don't know about lighting them on fire , however, I think some jail time would have been appropriate. Cold Case Files irritated me, too. They caused authorities quite a lot of time, effort, and money and walked away with a mere slap on the wrist.

1. What;s the point of sending them to jail for 3 years? So, they can come back even as even more hardened criminals and learn even better arson techniques from innmates? If the kids can be turned into productive members of society without jail time, I'm for it. We tend to be so quick to punishment, we tend to forget that some criminals can be rehabilitated, You send them to jail you just create two career criminals.

2. If you can prove there was attempted murder of fireman or the people in the house, then yes they should receive a harsher punishment. But the only crime here is property damage. There was no intent to murder, nor any death caused by the fire. If you attempt to murder someone and fail, you get attempted murder, not murder.

3. Why waste the taxpayers money. I;m more worried about much more dangerous criminals.

LOOK AT IT OMAR!

I SAID I'D DO IT! I SAID I'D DOOO ITTTT!

AHH-HA-HAAA-HAAAA!


:p

I frequently use this line with my brother. People usually look at me as if I am insane. My bother on the other hand...has grown tired of it. :lol:

These kids had to be the creep's of the late 80's. That video still makes my skin crawl.

In my opinion the punishment and treatement of the boys was approriate for the crime.

What punishment did they receive, exactly? A strict warning and a mandatory psych evaluation? Yeah I'll be that taught them their lesson!

1. What;s the point of sending them to jail for 3 years? So, they can come back even as even more hardened criminals and learn even better arson techniques from innmates? If the kids can be turned into productive members of society without jail time, I'm for it. We tend to be so quick to punishment, we tend to forget that some criminals can be rehabilitated, You send them to jail you just create two career criminals.

2. If you can prove there was attempted murder of fireman or the people in the house, then yes they should receive a harsher punishment. But the only crime here is property damage. There was no intent to murder, nor any death caused by the fire. If you attempt to murder someone and fail, you get attempted murder, not murder.

3. Why waste the taxpayers money. I;m more worried about much more dangerous criminals.

yeah arson isn't a dangerous crime.

If I remember correctly the tape was wrapped in a military jacket. That would indicate that they wanted the tape preserved.

Here's the thing I always thought of re: the discovery of the tape. As portrayed in the segment, a family finds the tape, then all sits around the VCR to watch it (was there popcorn?) for family movie night... I mean, come on, what are the chances the blank tape you find mt the side of the road has anything good on it? I hope this was dramatic license and the family wasn't so careless.

Here's the thing I always thought of re: the discovery of the tape. As portrayed in the segment, a family finds the tape, then all sits around the VCR to watch it (was there popcorn?) for family movie night... I mean, come on, what are the chances the blank tape you find mt the side of the road has anything good on it? I hope this was dramatic license and the family wasn't so careless.

Again, the fact that the tape was in good condition and wrapped up in a jacket is important. It wasn;t in a trashcan looking a month old.

1. The first thought I have is that it might be a homemade pornographic film. So in that case your right it might have been wise not to have the kiddies watching it!!!:D

2. The second thought I would have is that they may have thought it was a bootlegged movie that was done in a theatre.

Here's the thing I always thought of re: the discovery of the tape. As portrayed in the segment, a family finds the tape, then all sits around the VCR to watch it (was there popcorn?) for family movie night... I mean, come on, what are the chances the blank tape you find mt the side of the road has anything good on it? I hope this was dramatic license and the family wasn't so careless.

egswanso, that was a funny statement.

From seeing this case featured on Cold Case Files, these kids seemed to be great amateur filmmakers. I wonder if they pursued it and made a career out of it. Hopefully they didn't turn their passion into something negative again though.

The tape was found exactly one year, to the day, after the fire was set.

I always thought that just added to the weirdness of the case, and I'm surprised that this hasn't been brought up more (or at least I haven't seen it mentioned) elsewhere on this forum, where that case was being discussed.

2. If you can prove there was attempted murder of fireman or the people in the house, then yes they should receive a harsher punishment. But the only crime here is property damage. There was no intent to murder, nor any death caused by the fire. If you attempt to murder someone and fail, you get attempted murder, not murder.


I'm guessing there's about six widows of firemen around the Kansas City area, who don't really buy in to the "you can set any property fire you want to, so long as you don't INTEND to kill any firefighters, then it's all good" theory.

Arson is a very serious crime. My father was a firefighter for almost 30 years so maybe I'm bias but just because they didn't kill anyone or intend anyone harm doesn't mean they shouldn't be punished. I don't care if they are 17 or 70. There have been several fires set on purpose for reasons of gang initiations, retribution, insurance fraud, etc.. that wasn't mean to harm anyone but did. I know there are cases where firefighters were just doing their job by trying to get rid of the fire and were killed in line of duty. These kids that made the "Look at it Omar!" video deserved much more than a slap on the wrist. Hell they were 16, 17 years old, not 12. They knew right from wrong. Jail time may have been a good punishment. I'm not saying these kids didn't have mental issues but it seems like anytime a teenager/kid breaks the law, his attorneys/parents attribute it to "psychological disorders" as a cop out.

In the Cold Case files segment, it was mentioned that the arsonist was also killing animals. This kid wasn't merely a fire starter, who, at the least, was endangering the lives of the firefighters.

Anyone who abuses or kills animals certainly has issues that shouldn't be disregarded. From knowing of people who demonstrated this behavior as youths (and they weren't friends of mine), the majority of them continued their criminal behavior into adulthood and directed their abuse towards people as well; one of them not only starved his own animals, he beat and later drowned his wife in a pond on their property.

In the Cold Case files segment, it was mentioned that the arsonist was also killing animals. This kid wasn't merely a fire starter, who, at the least, was endangering the lives of the firefighters.

Anyone who abuses or kills animals certainly has issues that shouldn't be disregarded. From knowing of people who demonstrated this behavior as youths (and they weren't friends of mine), the majority of them continued their criminal behavior into adulthood and directed their abuse towards people as well; one of them not only starved his own animals, he beat and later drowned his wife in a pond on their property.

Jeffrey Dahmer started off killing animals.

This case was also shown on one of those "police videos" or "dumb criminal" shows. I was flipping channels one night and heard "look at it Omar" and thought it was UM. Then I saw another title on it which I do not recall. But at the end it did say that one of the kids was still in a mental home. They showed video of the kid acting like a bat or demon or something in his bedroom at home. he was hamming it up in front of the camera (I think he may have been wearing plastic fangs too) and hissing and growling. He was not a little kid just playing either. He looked to be a teeager in the video and obviously had some serious mental issues. They did mention torturing of animals as well if I recall.

However you want to look at it sympathetic towards the kids or otherwise (I tend to agree with otherwise) these kids need help and should be locked up. This kind of behavior cannot be cured. It is something that eventually and likely would escalate into full blown serial killings. KEEP THEM LOCKED UP! There are too many cases out there like this where they have let someone go and sure enough they up and kill someone. Then the authorities come on and say "well, we never thought he would do anything like this..." BS. You could have prevented it and didn't.

I'm guessing there's about six widows of firemen around the Kansas City area, who don't really buy in to the "you can set any property fire you want to, so long as you don't INTEND to kill any firefighters, then it's all good" theory.

I don't think that at all was what Mastermind was implying.

yeah arson isn't a dangerous crime.

Okay, to be fair...the house they set on fire was one being built...so no one was living in it at the time. They could have just as easily set one on fire with a family living in it. So I don't think they wanted to hurt anyone (NOT saying that they didn't put firefighters lives in danger...because they DID)

I think the best thing for them was what happened...they got help for thier (obvious) problems.

My now brother-in-law used to be a fire bug himself...but today he's totally reformed after a lot of counseling. Hope these guys did the same.

I really think the fact that no one was living there at the time is rather irrelevant in terms of the crime of arson as a whole. It is a markedly careless crime. While there may have been some conscious effort to abstain from setting fire to an occupied building, it still doesn't excuse the fact that the fire could have easily burned out of control, harmed or killed any late-night workers in the area, or even hurt the firefighters who responded (as was the case in the KC segment). There is, really, an apparent and definite lack of or failure to understand the reprecussions--second- and third-order effects, if you will--of the act of setting the fire itself.

And fortunately, there's help for those in the second category--the ones who fail to understand the severity of the possible effects of a set fire. Choosing a home believed to be empty, however, indicates to me that the individual DOES have an understanding of what his or her crime entails. That person shouldn't receive a lesser punishment--in fact, it should be quite the opposite.

1. What;s the point of sending them to jail for 3 years? So, they can come back even as even more hardened criminals and learn even better arson techniques from innmates? If the kids can be turned into productive members of society without jail time, I'm for it. We tend to be so quick to punishment, we tend to forget that some criminals can be rehabilitated, You send them to jail you just create two career criminals.

2. If you can prove there was attempted murder of fireman or the people in the house, then yes they should receive a harsher punishment. But the only crime here is property damage. There was no intent to murder, nor any death caused by the fire. If you attempt to murder someone and fail, you get attempted murder, not murder.

3. Why waste the taxpayers money. I;m more worried about much more dangerous criminals.



sorry to reply to such an old post but I agree with this. The fact that no one was killed means this is a perfect opportunity to try to rehabilitate rather than just throw them in jail (which will likely make them worse)

Another question. We all know this famous arson case was featured on Cold Case Files, Crime Caught on Tape, and maybe a couple other shows. Does anyone know if the case was also shown on Forensic Files? If so, which episode?

Another question. We all know this famous arson case was featured on Cold Case Files, Crime Caught on Tape, and maybe a couple other shows. Does anyone know if the case was also shown on Forensic Files? If so, which episode?

I've never seen the Cold Case Files version of this. I wonder if the forbidden site has it.

I don't think this is the type of case Forensic Files would've covered - it wasn't solved primarily through forensics.

I saw the Cold Case Files episode once and it was great - it showed some of the strange movies the arsonist made. I think I saw it on TV but I've never been able to find it online.

Nope, Forensic Files never did an episode on this story. The name of the Cold Case Files episode is called "Reconstructing Murder; Fire Flicks." The CCF episode thankfully picks up where UM left off, exploring the lifestyles of these two kids.

Nope, Forensic Files never did an episode on this story. The name of the Cold Case Files episode is called "Reconstructing Murder; Fire Flicks." The CCF episode thankfully picks up where UM left off, exploring the lifestyles of these two kids.

Have anyone found this online? Can't see it anywhere....

I saw the Cold Case Files episode once and it was great - it showed some of the strange movies the arsonist made. I think I saw it on TV but I've never been able to find it online.

Same here--I've seen it only once and that was probably close to a decade ago now. What I remember primarily were those home movies--and the fact that Omar (which indeed turned out to be the kid's actual name) was actually older than the arsonist himself by about two years or so, so that would have made Omar the "nineteen year-old youth" spoken of in the UM update.

The Cold Case Files episode is airing this coming Tuesday at 6AM EST on LMN.

The Cold Case Files episode is airing this coming Tuesday at 6AM EST on LMN.

Thank you! I saw this a few years ago. It was one of the better episodes of CCF. I've never seen it on UM.

CCF presented it in such a creepy way. I saw it a long time ago but I've never forgotten that episode.

A more just punishment would've been for the arsonist to be lit on fire. Wouldn't that be fun? And then someone could videotape and say "Look at it Omar! I said I'd do it! aaaaaaah!"



:nonono: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

:seeya: :typing:

From seeing this case featured on Cold Case Files, these kids seemed to be great amateur filmmakers. I wonder if they pursued it and made a career out of it.

Yeah, I can imagine what would happen if a studio didnt like their film ? :lol: :lol:

Some pictures, finally.

John Hannon:
https://i.postimg.cc/9rzbjPGS/IMG-3792-2.jpg (https://postimg.cc/9rzbjPGS)

Omar:
https://i.postimg.cc/94TqhbFW/50-FC6892-BB10-4-A26-A9-E4-3962079-BAF12.jpg (https://postimg.cc/94TqhbFW)

There's a new video on YouTube that's been uploaded in the last couple of days. The first story is about this case and shows a few things I'd never seen before.

I'm not sure if I can post a direct link, but it part of the "Chilling Scares" channel. It was uploaded a couple of days ago.

The main guy involved was beyond pathetic.