A California auto shop owner has been arrested in connection with a fire that caused $13 million in damage. For some of his customers, the news came after months of trouble getting their vehicles back.
John Wright, 47, owns Gary’s Auto Collision in Santa Clarita. An August fire destroyed his shop and spread through Old Town Newhall, damaging several other businesses along Main Street.
Now, Wright is one of four people arrested in the arson investigation. The arrests came on October 29, more than two months after the blaze. One of those arrested has since been released.
Customers interviewed by FOX 11 Los Angeles say they had already been fighting with Wright over unfinished repairs and large bills. One man says he paid $20,000 to have his truck fixed but waited nearly two years without getting it back.
Another Shop Burns
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The fire broke out around 3 a.m. on August 24 in the 24000 block of Main Street. Flames started inside an auto body shop and spread to nearby businesses, including a restaurant and theater.
According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s statement reported by FOX 11, seven structures were involved, with damage estimated at $13 million.
But this was not the first time a business owned by Wright had burned.
FOX 11 reported that another auto shop he owned on Sierra Highway caught fire in July 2025. Customers who learned about the earlier fire began questioning what had happened at both locations.
The two fires raised suspicions among customers, but investigators have not publicly established that the earlier blaze was deliberately set or connected to the August fire.
Still Waiting
Cheyenne Serrano and Mark Habermann told FOX 11 Los Angeles that they had struggled to recover their vehicles from Wright’s businesses.
Habermann said he paid Wright $20,000 to repair his truck. Nearly two years later, he was still waiting for the job to be finished.
“You know, I can fix anything,” Habermann recalled Wright telling him.
Serrano also had trouble getting her Tesla returned. During FOX 11’s October 30 report, she was still trying to figure out how to recover the vehicle from one of Wright’s shops.
Both customers accused Wright of demanding thousands of dollars before agreeing to release vehicles. Wright previously denied their allegations.
After learning about the fire and the arrests, Serrano said she was glad Wright could no longer cause similar problems for other customers. However, she still had no clear answer about getting her Tesla back.
Four Arrests
Sheriff’s detectives searched four locations across Los Angeles County on October 29 and arrested Wright, Cristian Leija, 43, Jesus Figueroa, 54, and Antoinette Ruiz, 35.
All four were initially arrested on suspicion of arson and conspiracy. However, The Santa Clarita Valley Signal reported that Ruiz was released the following morning because there was insufficient evidence to sustain the charge.
Wright remained in custody with bail set at $500,000, while Leija and Figueroa were being held without bail, according to custody information reported October 30.
The three men were scheduled to appear at the San Fernando Courthouse on Monday, November 2. Investigators had not publicly disclosed a motive or explained what role each suspect was accused of playing in the fire.