Rohnert Park police released video footage on Tuesday of a suspicious vehicle they believe is linked to the July 4 incident in which a trash can filled with fireworks was set ablaze outside a Rohnert Park councilman’s home.
The video, which officials said shows a “deliberate” crime, shows the moments before the fire was started, as well as a person who exits a large white vehicle believed to be connected to the act of vandalism.
Investigators are urging the public to come forward with any information that may help lead them to whomever started the fire outside Councilman Willy Linares’ home while he and his family were inside.
Chief Tim Mattos made the request Tuesday during a news conference outside the Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety. Afterward, he said he would like to talk to the person responsible.
“Stop hiding behind anonymity. Let's talk about it,” Mattos told The Press Democrat. “I urge whoever did this to come to my office and talk about why they did this.”
Linares, who did not attend Tuesday’s news conference, previously called the incident a hate crime because he is one of two people of color on the council. He has also said he believed the incident was in response to his support for a ban on fireworks in the city.
Most of Rohnert Park’s City Council members have said publicly that they have received various threats and hostile comments from residents and others because of their stance on the legality of fireworks in the city.
Some of the communications have been reported to the police and – in one particular case – to the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives.
Reached later Tuesday, Linares told The Press Democrat that he still feels the same about the nature of the crime. Even so, he is encouraged because since the July 4 fire he has not noticed any more instances of harassment or hostility.
Instead, he added, he and his family have been overwhelmed by the amount of support they have received from the community.
“I will not allow this situation to deter me from serving Rohnert Park,” he said. “What happened that night has only made me stronger, as a person and as a councilman.
“I still believe my race is a component. I’m one of two people of color on the council who has experienced an act taken to this level,” Linares said.
“I’ve experienced several uncomfortable things as a person of color and this event for me was the last straw where I wanted to actually let my voice be heard.”
He also said that no other topics that have been considered by City Council, since he began his term in January, have sparked the amount of public pushback and tension in Rohnert Park as the fireworks issue.
"Maybe whoever did this truly doesn't like me, who knows? But, we won't know until we find this person," he added. "As a person of color on this council, it would've been a complete disservice to everyone around me if I didn't speak up and speak out about this."
Investigators have yet to determine a motive behind the fire.
In addition, Mattos said that because all the fireworks were destroyed or heavily damaged by the flames , investigators could not identify or trace where they may have originated.
Regardless, authorities said they are treating this as a significant crime because it could have potentially started a larger, more damaging fire.
Embers from the flames in the trash can could have spread if firefighters hadn’t responded in time, Mattos said, which would have placed the Linares family and other neighbors at significant risk.
“Until a fire’s out, it’s just not safe,” the chief said.
The footage, released on Tuesday, is about two minutes long. It was taken from neighbors’ surveillance cameras, Mattos said.
At around 10:22 p.m. July 4, four vehicles, including a white cargo van, a white Jeep and a silver Toyota 4-runner, can be seen driving on the street in front of Linares’ home. Then about 15 seconds after the vehicles pass, Mattos said, a large commercial white cargo van can be seen stopping in front of Linares’ trash bin and the video ends. It starts again and the man is seen returning to a van and driving away.
Police say the fire ignited about six-and-a-half minutes later and was “fully enflamed” within about 45 seconds.
A passerby saw the fire and knocked on the front door of the nearby home to alert its occupants.
"Based on the information we’ve gotten from cameras in the area and what we’ve gotten from the investigation, this was a deliberate act,“ Mattos said during the news conference Tuesday afternoon. ”We believe the person shown in the video exiting a van is responsible for the fire.“
Rohnert Park Mayor Gerard Giudice, who was also present at Tuesday’s news conference, called the incident “a cowardly attempt at intimidation.”
“It’s unacceptable that any Rohnert Park family should ever feel vulnerable in their home and fear for the safety of their children,“ the mayor said. ”I want to make one thing really clear. Bullying and intimidation will not be tolerated.“
The controversial fireworks ban, which city leaders initially approved on April 27, will instead go before Rohnert Park voters during a special election on Sept. 14.
It was proposed as a safety measure for the wildfire-prone region and it was supported by Linares, Giudice and Vice Mayor Jackie Elward while Councilmembers Susan Hollingsworth Adams and Pam Stafford objected.
Also objecting were residents who argued that fireworks sales fund their nonprofit programs and organizations.
In May, they presented the city with a petition demanding the ban be put on hold in favor of a referendum, which would allow voters to determine whether the ban remains in place. They had collected nearly 4,000 signatures, which surpassed the required 2,552 names needed to get the measure on the ballot.
The ban was then delayed in favor of the referendum, which City Council OK’d in May.
Mattos said Tuesday that investigators have also not determined if the fire is connected to any of the other instances of negative backlash directed at council members.
He added that neither the ATF nor the FBI are involved in the Rohnert Park investigation, outside of the latter being contacted for software to enhance photos.
Aggressive attacks appear to have subsided in recent weeks and Mattos said he had not been advised of notable comments on social media.
“The conversation has definitely quieted a lot,” he said.
You can reach Staff Writer Colin Atagi at colin.atagi@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @colin_atagi. You can reach Staff Writer Mya Constantino at mya.constantino@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @searchingformya.
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Rohnert Park police release video of ‘deliberate’ fire set in fireworks-filled bin outside official’s home - Santa Rosa Press Democrat
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