The FBI announced the arrest of a serial arson suspect suspected of running a domestic “eco-terrorism” cell that started more than a half-dozen fires in the 1990s and early 2000s, shortly after authorities in Los Angeles announced the arrest of a suspect. It reignited a decades-long investigation. A pair of fake firefighters from Oregon, one of whom has a criminal history of arson.
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department told Fox News Digital Sunday that Dustin Nehle, 31, and Jennifer Nehle, 44, impersonated firefighters and entered a restricted area in a fake fire truck from a fake fire station. He was arrested on suspicion of doing so.
The FBI is offering $50,000 for information leading to the arrest of Josephine Sunshine Overaker, a domestic terrorism suspect accused of setting fires to spread an animal rights message with a group of fellow extremists. There is. She is also accused of posing as a firefighter.
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The 1998 Vail Ski Resort arson attack was blamed by authorities on Josephine Sunshine Overaker and her alleged domestic terrorist organization known as “The Family.” (FBI/YouTube)
Overker was indicted 24 years ago Sunday on charges including arson, destruction of an energy facility and domestic terrorism. Her exact age is unknown, but she is believed to have been born between October 1971 and November 1974.
The incidents in which she was allegedly involved were associated with extremist groups known as the Earth Liberation Front and the Animal Liberation Front. The alleged attacks occurred in Oregon, Washington, California, Colorado, and Wyoming starting in 1996.
Hours after Los Angeles authorities announced the couple's arrest, the FBI's Most Wanted account for X reposted a flyer asking for information about Overraker, a longtime fugitive.
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The split image shows fugitive Josephine Sunshine Overker's distinctive back tattoo, as well as an aged sketch of what she looks like now. She is the last remaining fugitive suspect in the 1998 Vail Ski Resort incendiary bombing, one of the most devastating eco-terrorism attacks in U.S. history, causing millions of dollars in damage. (FBI)
It was not clear whether the Nehru couple had any ties to Overraker or the extremist group she is said to be collaborating with. The FBI reshared her wanted poster to commemorate the 24th anniversary of her federal indictment.
Authorities say Dustin Nael, who has a criminal record including a past arson charge, was found wearing a firefighter's suit and carrying a walkie-talkie with his wife in a junked fire truck he bought at an auction. Ta.
The vehicle was stamped with the name of a fake Oregon state agency, the Roaring River Fire Department. Officials said they were wearing T-shirts from CAL-Fire, the state firefighting agency, under their firefighting suits.
Dustin Nael was sentenced to five years in prison for a series of acts of vandalism that culminated in arsons at country clubs and other locations. LA Magazine Reported.
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Two Elks Lodge rebuilt at Vail Ski Area in Vail, Colorado in October 1999. It was built to replace the original building that was destroyed in an arson attack by an eco-terrorist group known as The Family, which has ties to Animal. Liberation Front and Earth Liberation Front. (John Epperson/Denver Post via Getty Images)
Federal prosecutors say Overaker is the last of the 17 suspects in the 1998 Vail ski resort fire in Colorado to remain in custody. In 2018, Joseph Mahmoud Diby, another long-time fugitive, was arrested in Cuba for his role in the plot. He pleaded guilty in 2022 in exchange for an 87-month prison sentence.
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The FBI calls it “the largest environmentally-related arson in history.” The blaze destroyed the upscale Two Elks Lodge restaurant, which has since been rebuilt, disabled the chairlift and destroyed other buildings, authorities said.
Other targets included the Cabell West meat packing plant in Redmond, Oregon, and a barn belonging to the Bureau of Land Management in Litchfield, California.
Overker is believed to have led a domestic terrorist organization known as “The Family” and was responsible for 25 arsons that caused between $45 million and $80 million worth of damage. To avoid detection, she allegedly shoplifted the bomb-making materials instead of purchasing them.
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Overaker, a Canadian-born American citizen, has a large bird tattoo on her back and may pose as a firefighter, midwife, shepherd or masseuse, the FBI said. She has brown hair, brown eyes, is 5 feet 3 inches tall, and weighs an estimated 130 pounds. Agents say she has a beard growing on her upper lip.
The FBI says she has used many aliases over the years, including Lisa Quintana, Chyna, Joe and Osha. She was fluent in Spanish and may have immigrated to Spain.
If convicted, she could face life in prison.
FOX News' Stephanie Price contributed to this report.
