What’s the declare?
Social media customers are circulating a 47-second video displaying law enforcement officials detaining a person with the declare that he’s an Indian nationwide named “Bhuvesh Patel,” who was caught making an attempt to begin a hearth for looting in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles.
The video has a textual content overlaid on it, which reads, “WE HELPED CATCH A GUY TRING TO START A FIRE ON MY BLOCK.” It has surfaced on a number of social media platforms, together with X, Fb, YouTube, and Instagram. An X consumer posted this video with the caption, “Pajeet, Bhuvesh Patel (Hindu) was caught attempting to begin a hearth with torch blower for looting in areas devastated by fires 📍 Woodland Hills, CA.” On the time of scripting this verify, the submit had amassed over 132,000 views and greater than 1,000 shares. Archived variations of this and different related posts could be discovered right here, right here, right here, right here, right here, right here, right here, and right here.
Screenshots of comparable viral social media posts. (Supply: Fb/Instagram/X/YouTube/Modified by Logically Information)
Nevertheless, we discovered that the person detained within the viral video has been recognized as a Mexican immigrant named Juan Manuel Sierra, not an Indian nationwide named “Bhuvesh Patel.”
What are the details?
We performed a Google search utilizing related key phrases and located a number of information studies in regards to the incident, indicating that a person named Juan Sierra was arrested after the LA neighborhood residents alleged that he was making an attempt to begin a hearth.
A information report (archived right here) revealed on January 14, 2025, by the Los Angeles Instances, said that a person named Juan Manuel Sierra, 33, a.okay.a. Juan Manuel Sierra-Leyva, was apprehended on Thursday by the Los Angeles Police Division (LAPD). Sierra was caught with a blowtorch and arrested for violating felony probation after “making an attempt to begin a hearth” in a West Hills neighborhood close to the placement of the Kenneth fireplace.
Moreover, a Newsweek report, which additionally recognized the arrested particular person as Juan Manuel Sierra, included visuals from a unique angle much like the viral video. The video within the report reveals a person in a black outfit being confronted by Woodland Hills residents. He’s seen close to a tree on the sidewalk earlier than being taken into custody by law enforcement officials.
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Comparability between viral video and Newsweek video. (Supply: X/Newsweek/Modified by Logically Information)
As well as, each the viral and the Newsweek footage confirmed related blue, black, and inexperienced rubbish cans, in addition to a person carrying gray and black apparel with lengthy hair and a bicycle on the street.
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Comparability of viral and Newsweek movies. (Supply: X/Newsweek/Modified by Logically Information)
We additionally discovered an official assertion by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) corroborating information studies that recognized the person as Juan Manuel Sierra, a Mexican citizen. The ICE assertion headlined: “Assertion by ICE on an individual of curiosity being held in reference to the California fires” famous that “Juan Manuel Sierra, 33, aka Juan Manuel Sierra-Leyva, Juan Leva, Leyva Moniker, and Juan Sierra, is a Mexican nationwide who entered the U.S. unlawfully at an unknown date and placement with out inspection by an immigration official.” It added that the LAPD arrested Sierra on January 10 on a felony probation violation.
Moreover, a reverse picture search on the keyframes from the viral video led us to a number of user-generated movies on social media. An Instagram consumer, ‘reresellsvroomvrooms’ shared this clip with related overlaid textual content (archived right here and right here) on January 10, 2025, and said within the feedback that they filmed it.
Logically Information has contacted ICE and LAPD for a remark, and we’ll replace this fact-check if and once we obtain it.
The decision
In line with a number of studies, the person within the viral video has been recognized as Juan Manuel Sierra, a Mexican immigrant, who was caught making an attempt to begin a hearth for looting in Woodland Hills. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has additionally confirmed the identical.
(This story was initially revealed by Logically Information, and republished by NDTV as a part of the Shakti Collective)
(This story has not been edited by NDTV employees and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
