A 33-year-old woman is in custody after authorities say she set a homeless woman on fire in California. The suspect, identified as Jacqueline Popaibarra, was charged on Tuesday for the harrowing incident that occurred late last month, which was captured on security camera footage.
The homeless woman was set ablaze along the intersection of 17th Avenue and Stockton Boulevard on April 26, according to reports. The Sacramento County Sheriff’s deputies and fire crews were called to the scene at about 9:30 p.m. following reports that a woman had been set on fire.
The fire was extinguished by several witnesses, and the woman was rushed to the hospital. Investigators spoke to the witnesses and zeroed in on a suspect: 33-year-old Jacqueline Popaibarra. According to the Sheriff’s Office, Popaibarra drove to the spot where the victim slept, engaged her in a heated argument, and then poured what deputies believed was a fire accelerant onto her before igniting it.
According to the report, witnesses rushed to her aid, which was when Popaibarra allegedly kicked the burning woman repeatedly before fleeing the scene.
The released footage captures a vehicle pulling up near the homeless woman and the suspect exiting. Shortly after, the victim goes up in flames. While the victim was identified to be 49 years old, her name was not released. The homeless woman suffered burns on her face, torso, arms, and back. Police say the burns covered roughly one-third of her body.
For multiple days, the burnt victim was intubated and remained unable to speak. Once the victim regained enough strength to speak with deputies, on Tuesday, she positively named Popaibarra as her assailant. Popaibarra, who was already in police custody on an unrelated robbery charge, was subsequently hit with new felony counts linked to the arson and assault. She is being held in the county jail.
