A content creator has been arrested twice over allegations that he deliberately set fire to buildings so he could film them. Joshua Christian-Stanley Jackson, aged 21, also faces charges relating to false 911 calls.
What happened?
Jackson was first arrested on February 28 after he was suspected of involvement with a fire in a vacant commercial building in Charles County, Maryland. The Maryland State Fire Marshal’s Office reported that emergency services received a 911 call on February 22. As a result, firefighters responded to a fire at 12535 Crain Highway around 8:30 p.m. that evening.
The Office of the State Fire Marshal also investigated and found that the fire had been started deliberately. In addition, the investigators discovered that Jackson had made the 911 call.
What did Jackson say?
Jackson frequently posts videos of the emergency services responding to incidents on his social media. Via a social media post, Jackson claimed he had been returning from a DoorDash in King George County, Virginia when he noticed the fire on Crain Highway.
However, Deputy State Fire Marshals found that Jackson hadn’t traveled to or from Virginia for DoorDash. They also discovered that he had previously made multiple 911 calls across Charles County, St. Mary’s County, and Calvert County.
Second-degree arson
Jackson confessed to the investigators that he had started the fire deliberately. He also admitted that he made money by filming emergency services for his social media channels. As a result, Jackson was later charged with charged with second-degree arson, malicious burning and causing a false fire alarm. He was held over the weekend at the Charles County Detention Center before being released on March 3.
Arrested again
On March 5, Jackson was arrested again in St Mary’s County. This second arrest was related to a fire at a vacant home in Chaptico on February 14. Again, the investigators determined that Jackson had started the fire deliberately and that he had made the 911 call. Now, Jackson faces new charges of second-degree arson, second-degree malicious burning, malicious destruction of property and making a false 911 call. Additionally, the investigators discovered that Jackson made a false 911 call regarding a motor vehicle accident on Three Notch Road in Hollywood in 2024.
What next?
Deputy State Fire Marshals are continuing to investigate fires and false 911 calls in Calvert County. If he is found responsible, Jackson will face more criminal charges.
In a statement, Acting State Fire Marshal Jason M. Mowbray said, “Arson is a serious crime that puts lives at risk and places an unnecessary burden on our first responders. We want to remind the public that making false 911 calls is a criminal offense, and anyone who engages in such reckless behavior will be held accountable.”
What we think
This news story sounds like the plot of the Jake Gyllenhaal movie Nightcrawler, but sadly it is all too real. With his alleged actions, Jackson repeatedly put many people’s lives at risk. In addition to the firefighters who had to tackle the deliberate fires, his allegedly false 911 calls also took resources away from other real emergencies.
