Spurned man torches 7 vehicles during cosplay convention, arrested
ONTARIO — A Riverside man is in custody after officials allege he torched the vehicle of a woman he had been stalking, which was parked at an Ontario hotel early Sunday morning, Jan. 13. A total of seven vehicles were damaged or destroyed by the ensuing blaze, which officers say was purposely set at Azure Hotel & Suites at 1945 E. Holt Blvd., near the Ontario Convention Center and Ontario International Airport.
Hotel security cameras captured footage of the alleged suspect, who has since been identified as 27-year-old, Matthew Masumi Toyotome, pouring gasoline on a specific vehicle before lighting and smoking a cigarette, then tossing the lit cigarette onto the gas-soaked car, igniting the blaze. He was later located and arrested without incident.
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Firefighters were first alerted to the fire just before 2 a.m., when 911 callers reported several vehicles burning in the hotel’s parking lot. Three engine companies and a hook-and-ladder truck were dispatched to the blaze, primarily due to the fire’s proximity to the hotel.
When firefighters arrived they found three vehicles fully engulfed in fire, with flames quickly spreading to other nearby vehicles and a tree. Firefighters made an aggressive attack and had extinguished the blaze within minutes of arriving at the scene, Ontario Fire Department Battalion Chief and spokesman Scotland Roeber later said.
All guests staying at the hotel, many of whom were there for a nearby anime convention, Anime Los Angeles, were briefly evacuated and forced to stand outside, a safe distance from the burning vehicles. Most were wearing pajamas or night-clothes and many sported colorful outfits and costumes related to the anime convention.
There were no reported injuries related to the fire and the hotel did not sustain damage.
A friendship that turned into an obsession
Early in their investigation, officers learned of the hotel’s surveillance footage and were quickly able to identify Toyotome as the alleged arsonist. After officers identified Toyotome, they soon learned that the vehicle he had specifically targeted belonged to Julia Moreno Jenkins, someone who knew him and had previously been friends with.
Details later emerged that Toyotome and Jenkins were members of the anime and cosplay community, in which participants – called cosplayers – wear costumes and accessories to represent specific movie or cartoon characters or groups.
According to Moreno Jenkins, she and Toyotome were part of an “armored Power Rangers” group, based on the popular children’s, live-action Power Rangers series. Toyotome’s Facebook showed pictures of him dressed up as the “Yellow Power Ranger.”
Moreno Jenkins said she ended her friendship with Toyotome after he made repeated, unwanted advances toward her. After that, she said things became so strained between the two that she ultimately blocked him from her social media accounts.
Although the victim said she hadn’t heard from Toyotome until he happened to show up at the Anime Los Angeles convention, which was held over the weekend at the nearby Ontario Convention Center, she later learned from officials he admitted he had been stalking her and following her movements.
“They were both attending the (Anime Los Angeles) convention,” Ontario Police Lt. William Russell told Daily Bulletin after Toyotome’s arrest.
“He did indicate they are involved in cosplay together,” Russell explained, adding, “He intentionally lit her car on fire.”
Toyotome was arrested at his Riverside home later the same day and booked into the West Valley Detention on suspicion of arson and stalking. He could face additional charges related to the incident. Jail records indicate he remains in custody and is being held in lieu of $250,000.
Moreno Jenkins has since established a GoFundMe account to help offset the costs associated with the loss of her vehicle, which she described as “a good running 2015 Subaru Outback, and its contents. The fundraiser had raised more than $10,000 before the end of its first day.
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Trevor Montgomery, 47, moved last year to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes for several other news organizations; including Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News, The Valley Chronicle, and Anza Valley Outlook; as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County and Mountain Echo in Shasta County.
Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)
During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.
Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.
Trevor has been married for more than 28 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 15 – but soon to be 16 – grandchildren.
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