Arson Arrest in Rancho Cucamonga
RANCHO CUCAMONGA – A man was arrested on suspicion of arson Tuesday after someone reported he tried to set the grass on fire at a Rancho Cucamonga park.
Anthony Joseph Riperti was booked into county jail in lieu of $250,000 bail. Authorities don't believe Riperti is connected to any of the large fires burning in Southern California.
San Bernardino County Sheriff Sgt. Rick Ells said deputies responded to the park near Archibald Avenue and 6th Street just before 8 p.m. and found a small fire barely smoldering on the grass. It was easily extinguished.
Riperti, 45, was arrested nearby and identified as the firestarter by a witness, Ells said.
Sheriff's officials said Wednesday that investigators have ruled out arson as a cause of the two large fires burning in the San Bernardino Mountains.
-- Rod Leveque