Arson suspect targeted his groomsmen, police say

MARTINEZ, Calif. -- A man in Northern California was charged with arson after he allegedly set fire to homes and cars belonging to his groomsmen, authorities said Tuesday.

Joshua Van Buskirk, 33, was arrested last month and later charged in connection to a string of arson fires in Pleasant Hill, Antioch, and Concord, Calif. Police said after Van Buskirk's marriage fell apart, he sought revenge against his former friends for not supporting him.

Though he acknowledges the rift with his groomsmen, Van Buskirk denied the charges.

"It tore me apart because I'd been there for them," Van Buskirk told the Contra Costa Times in a jailhouse interview. "They didn't even reach out to me or care one bit."

When asked if he committed the arsons, he said, "No sir."

The bizarre case began Oct. 12, when a pickup truck belonging to one of Van Buskirk's groomsman's was set ablaze in Pleasant Hill. A Joker playing card was left at the scene.

At the time, he and his wife were going through a divorce, ending a four-year marriage. Van Buskirk's wife filed for a restraining order on Sept. 15.

On December 23, Van Buskirk allegedly torched another groomsman's truck in Antioch, leaving behind another Joker card, police said.

The following day another groomsman was home asleep with his family when Van Buskirk allegedly burned the man's garage door.

Investigators identified Van Buskirk as a suspect when they linked the victims in each of the three blazes to his wedding party and after a search of his home allegedly turned up evidence linking him to the fires, police said.

Van Buskirk is facing three counts of arson, three counts of possession of a destructive device and two counts of child endangerment. His bail is set at $1.2 million.

The child endangerment charges were filed because children were home at the time of the Dec. 24 fire, police said.

That family's neighbor, Naseer Ahmadi, told CBS San Francisco that the victim of that fire was having trouble answering his son's questions about why they were targeted.

"'Daddy, why Uncle Josh tried to kill us?,'" Ahmadi said the man was asked. "And his Dad doesn't have an answer for his question."

Van Buskirk is scheduled to go before a judge for a preliminary hearing Jan. 12.