A San Bernardino County man has been sentenced to life in prison a little over a year after he set two people on fire in a pickup truck in Johnson Valley, a small community in the high desert.
Joshua Kaiser was convicted of attempted murder, arson and domestic violence in the wake of the vicious attack on his ex-girlfriend — with whom he shares two children — and a man she’d asked for a ride, according to the San Bernardino County district attorney’s office. The attack took place on June 18 last year, Father’s Day.
The day of the incident, Kaiser and his ex-girlfriend got into a fight on a rural, five-acre parcel near State Highway 247 where multiple people resided in scattered dwellings. He left the property to get gas for a generator that powered one of the homes.
While he was gone, his ex-girlfriend asked a male visitor for a ride off the property. The man didn’t know her or Kaiser; he was there to clean the home of a friend who was away for a few months.
The man’s truck wouldn’t start, and they were sitting inside it when Kaiser returned, gas canister in hand. According to the district attorney’s office, the man was relieved to see Kaiser, thinking he could help jump-start the truck.
Upon seeing the pair in the pickup, prosecutors said, Kaiser grew angry and told his ex, “You’re not going to like what’s going to happen next.” Then he doused the two with gasoline inside the truck and lighted multiple matches, igniting the vehicle and setting them ablaze.
As he poured the gasoline, he said, “Happy Father’s Day,” the district attorney’s office said.
The pair escaped the vehicle, dropping to roll in the dirt to put out the flames. But Kaiser followed the man, dousing him with gas and lighting him on fire a second and third time. Finally, Kaiser fled on a motorcycle.
Both survived, but the woman suffered burns across the left side of her body. The man’s burns covered nearly 80% of his body and caused extensive scarring. He spent three weeks in intensive care, including 13 days in an induced coma.
Kaiser was arrested a few weeks later. He pleaded not guilty in October 2023, but a jury found him guilty on all counts in March.
He was sentenced to 20 years in state prison followed by two consecutive sentences of 14 years to life for each victim.
