DNA on Coins Used by Arsonist to Start Massive California Wildfire Help Officials Zero In on Suspect

DNA analysis conducted on coins used as incendiary devices helped law enforcement apprehend a suspect connected to an arson case.

34-year-old Justin Wayne Halstenberg's DNA was found on coins wrapped in legal paper, used to ignite a fire in San Bernardino county. The fire, later coined the Line Fire, began on Sept. 5 and burned over 44,000 acres of land, prompting evacuations across multiple counties.

Halstenberg, who is being held in jail in the city of Rancho Cucamonga without bail, pleaded not guilty in a video arraignment on Sept. 17.

A statement released by the office of the San Bernardino County District Attorney alleges that Halstenberg attempted to ignite a fire 3 separate times.

"His first attempt occurred on Bacon Ln. in Highland. That fire was reported and extinguished by local firefighters," read the statement. "His second arson was just east of Bacon Ln. on Basline, which was stomped out by a good Samaritan. Undeterred, he ignited a third fire, which is what we now know as the Line Fire."

The 34-year-old was arrested on Sept. 9, 4 days from the beginning of the fire, after law enforcement used CCTV surveillance footage and license plates in order to connect him with the crime.

"We were able to look at several different videos and determine who the suspect was," said San Bernardino County Sheriff's Lt. Kari Klaus said shortly after arresting Halstenberg.

"A day and a half long preliminary hearing concluded earlier today for Defendant Halstenberg, the alleged arsonist, which included testimony from multiple Cal Fire investigators, financial analysts, a DNA expert, and a San Bernardino County Sheriff's Detective," said the San Bernardino County District Attorney's Office in a post on X (formerly Twitter). "Cal- Fire financial administrators reported that costs related to aircraft, apparatus, and man power resources to fight the #LineFire were over $82 million at day 18."