Vigilant Neighbor’s Quick Sight Identifies Suspected Arsonist Amid Raging Wildfire

Paul Child’s routine drive took an unexpected turn when he encountered a mysterious stranger by the railroad tracks near his Washington home. Twice, he passed this unknown figure. Just minutes later, smoke billowed from the area where the man had disappeared into the bushes, sparking a sequence of events that led authorities to a suspected wildfire arsonist.

Freshly released bodycam footage reveals officers quickly mobilizing to evacuate Child’s family. The footage shows them escorting him, his grandson, and the grandson’s friend to a field for a showup identification after detaining an individual fitting the stranger’s description.

As they awaited confirmation at the scene, the bodycam picked up an officer noting that the suspect carried “a whole fanny pack full of matches.” This clue proved pivotal to the investigation.

However, the video does not provide visual proof of the matches or detail how they were discovered in the suspect’s possession.

Child said he and the other witnesses – his grandson and his grandson’s friend – were not told about the alleged matches or other items before they were asked to view the detained man.

“We thought he had a backpack,” Child told News Media. “They didn’t say anything to us anyway about the fanny pack with matches, cigarettes [and] I guess lighter in it.”

Child told News Media that he, his grandson and the grandson’s friend spotted a man twice near railroad tracks close to the apparent fire origin. The second time, Child said, the man’s behavior appeared unusual.

“He was kind of bent over and looked like he was doing something in the bushes,” Child said. “He got up, saw us. When he saw us, he turned to face us and kind of was pacing back and forth nervously.”

Child said there was no smoke when the group last saw the man. Within about 10 minutes of returning home, however, he said smoke began rising about a half-mile away.

Bodycam footage from the Airway Heights Police Department shows smoke billowing in the distance as Officer Pace speaks with Child’s family about evacuating. The officer later tells them police may have detained “your guy” and that they could be asked to take part in a showup.

A field showup is an in-person identification procedure in which witnesses view a person detained shortly after an incident.

While the footage does not show the identification, Child said Pace escorted him and the two boys to a location about a mile and a half from his home.

“We pulled off to the side of the road and they got an individual out from the back of the … Spokane County deputy car,” Child said. “We looked at him, and all three of us gave them [a] positive, 100% positive ID that’s who we’d seen in the area just before the fire started.”

Child said he and the two teen witnesses positively identified the detained man during the field showup. Authorities later identified the man as Aaron Forrest Farinacci.

The Aug. 1 field showup did not immediately lead to charges. Farinacci was released after the witnesses identified the detained man, then was arrested on charges two days later, on Aug. 3.

Child said he did not initially realize Farinacci had been released.

“I was like, well, thank God, because … I thought they had him detained the whole time. I didn’t realize they didn’t have probable cause to hold him for a couple days. … He could walk right back up that road,” Child said.

Farinacci is accused of starting the Old Trails Fire, one of three blazes that have burned across Spokane and Stevens counties since Aug. 1. The Old Trails, Fairview and Autumn Lane fires had burned a combined 10,002 acres and damaged or destroyed more than 920 structures, Spokane fire officials reported Monday.

Farinacci, who was initially held on $1 million bail, appeared in court Thursday, when a judge doubled his bail to $2 million. He also faces four additional arson charges after court documents alleged he admitted to setting 25 fires in the area since 2025.

Court documents reviewed by News Media allege Farinacci monitored weather apps to identify ideal fire conditions and built a delayed ignition device to start the Old Trails Fire.

Although Farinacci initially denied involvement in the Old Trails Fire during questioning after his Aug. 3 arrest, court documents allege he later confessed to planning and setting the blaze. The documents say he planned the fire for two weeks.

Investigators allege Farinacci built a time-delay device from paper, matches, cigarettes and rubber bands modeled after one used by serial arsonist John Leonard Orr. Court documents also allege he deliberately set simultaneous fires at other times to distract and thin out emergency response crews.

As the wildfire spread, Child’s family gathered pets and belongings before evacuating their home.

“It was pretty chaotic,” Child said. “I forgot my medications. We forgot leashes for the dogs or dog food and all that stuff.”

Child said the flames came no closer than about a quarter-mile from his home, but he feared a shift in the wind could have sent the fast-moving fire toward his property within minutes.

Looking back, Child said he sees his decision to alert police as only one part of the response.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t able to stop him from doing what he did,” Child said, adding that he believes he played only a small part in the man being caught. “It was kind of like, well, good. At least he’s off the street.”

“I mean, he wasn’t going to stop,” Child added. “Fortunately, he didn’t kill anybody this time, but I imagine his luck on that was going to run out if he continued to set fires.”