A San Bernardino County man has been sentenced to life in prison just over a year after he set fire to two people 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 violent attack on his ex-girlfriend – with whom he shares two children – and a man she had asked for a ride, according to the San Bernardino County District Attorney. The attack took place on June 18 last year, Father’s Day.
On 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 several people lived in scattered residences. He left the property to get gas for a generator that powered one of the houses.
While he was gone, his ex-girlfriend asked a male visitor to leave the property. The man did not know her or Kaiser; he was there to clean the house 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 with a gas canister in hand. According to the district attorney’s office, the man was relieved to see Kaiser, and thought he could help start the truck.
When Kaiser saw the couple in the pickup, prosecutors said, Kaiser became angry and told his ex, “You’re not going to like what’s going to happen next.” He then doused the two inside the truck with gasoline and lit several matches, igniting the vehicle and setting it on fire.
As he poured the gas, he said, “Happy Father’s Day,” the district attorney’s office said.
The pair fled the vehicle and fell to rolling in the dirt to put out the flames. But Kaiser followed the man, doused him with gas and set him on fire a second and third time. In the end, Kaiser escaped on a motorcycle.
Both survived, but the woman suffered burns on the left side of her body. The man’s burns covered almost 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 terms of 14 years to life for each victim.