Berkeley animal shelter arson suspect arrested

Dog beds, blankets, food bags, leashes and other donated pet supplies were destroyed or left unusable from smoke damage. Credit: Zac Farber/Berkeleyside

Police have arrested the man they believe set fire to the Berkeley Animal Care Services shelter Saturday night, forcing the city-run facility near Aquatic Park to close and relocate all the animals living there. Police are also investigating whether the man they arrested was involved in vandalizing the shelter building by flooding it overnight Wednesday.

The 48-year-old man, arrested on suspicion of arson and several counts of cruelty to animals, is in custody at the Santa Rita Jail in Dublin with his bail set at $670,000; he is scheduled for arraignment Monday, according to jail records and an announcement Thursday from the Berkeley Police Department.

The Alameda County District Attorney’s Office has not formally charged him, according to court records.

A window at the Berkeley Animal Care Services shelter near Aquatic Park was boarded up on June 9, 2026. Credit: Zac Farber/Berkeleyside

By reviewing surveillance footage from the areas, police “determined that the suspect used a rock to break a window and then ignited the fire using an improvised incendiary device,” according to a statement from police. Detectives were able to identify the man when he returned to the area of the shelter, and was again caught on surveillance footage, Berkeley police spokesperson Officer Byron White wrote in an email.

Police found the man downtown Thursday morning and arrested him, according to Thursday’s announcement.

Days after the fire, a vandal struck the animal shelter by flooding it with water sometime between 5:30 p.m. Wednesday and 8:20 a.m. Thursday, White wrote.

Whoever did it likely jumped over a nearby fence and opened an exterior faucet, from “which the accumulation of water flowed into the interior of the building,” he said.

The fire was first reported around 10 p.m. Saturday, fire officials said previously. Investigators said early on the fire seemed suspicious after finding a broken window. There were no injuries reported, to humans or animals. The fire burned through a pile of pet supplies under a stairway in the building’s lobby. There was no structural damage from the fire, but an inspection showed smoke damage to staff areas and a downed sprinkler system that could have posed a danger to animals.

By Monday all the animals from the facility had been placed in fosters or with other shelters.

The shelter is expected to remain closed for weeks or months.

The Berkeley animal shelter told volunteers Monday it was accepting clean unused towels and soft blankets, which can be left outside the front door. Monetary donations are also welcomed through Friends of Berkeley Animal Care Services.

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