A Capitola man is in jail after police say someone deliberately set fire to a commercial building on New Year’s Day.
Capitola Police Department detectives and officers arrested the man Friday afternoon after the Central Fire District of Santa Cruz County prompted the investigation.
In a statement on Facebook, Capitola police said in the early morning of New Year’s Day, Central Fire and CPD responded to a fire at a commercial property on the 2100 block of 41st Avenue, near the intersection with Gross Road. Police did not name the business involved, but posted a photo on Facebook of fire trucks outside of Savy Flare Beauty. Central Fire deemed the fire unusual after extinguishing the blaze, prompting an investigation by Capitola police.
Police, after reviewing footage of the events, said the footage showed a suspect starting the fire and watching it grow before walking away.
Investigators quickly identified a suspect from the surveillance footage. Police said the suspect was out on parole at the time and was known to police for previous incidents involving weapons, narcotics, resisting, theft and traffic charges.
Police said officers searched the man’s residence near the scene of the crime and found clothing the suspect was seen wearing in the footage.
Police did not name the suspect; however, Santa Cruz County jail records show that Manuel Hernandez Pena, 38, was booked into the jail on an arson charge on Friday.
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