Photo: Kristina L. Romo
UNION CITY—Authorities arrested a suspected arsonist following fire incidents at two Safari Kid preschool locations less than four miles apart. The fire forced one school to close due to damage, while the other school sustained only minor damage.
Both incidents occurred during holiday weekends and no injuries resulted from them.
The first incident occurred last year on November 26 at the preschool location at 32462 Alvarado Boulevard in Union City. The second fire occurred on May 26 at the preschool located at 34899 Newark Boulevard in neighboring Newark.
In the first incident, surveillance cameras recorded a woman attempting to use a champagne bottle as a Molotov cocktail. When her attempts to light a wick failed the woman threw the bottle at a glass door shattering it. The she fled from the scene.
After a second devastating fire in May, detectives from Union City and Newark coordinated a joint investigation. Police released video evidence from the first incident and someone recognized the suspect and tipped off the police.
Union City police arrested Kristina L. Romo, a 39-year-old local resident, at her home on June 13. They arrested her for allegedly attempting to set fire to the school located in Union City.
On June 14 charges were filed against Romo for arson and vandalism, but only for the fire incident in Union City.
The investigation of the second fire in May at the preschool’s Newark location is ongoing. Authorities hope to complete that part of the investigation soon.
