Man Arrested in Toronto After Multiple Attempts to Set People’s Clothing on Fire

Toronto police have arrested a man accused of setting a person’s jacket on fire and attempting to ignite other people’s clothing at a shopping mall on the city’s east side on Dec. 29.

Toronto resident Donald McFarlane, 47, has been arrested and charged in connection with an arson investigation involving multiple attempts to set other people’s clothing on fire, the Toronto Police Service said in a Dec. 30 press release. Authorities began the investigation on Dec. 28 after McFarlane allegedly tried to light a victim’s jacket on fire on the platform at Kennedy subway station around 6:30 a.m. before fleeing the scene.

The following day, at around the same time at Scarborough Town Centre, the suspect allegedly picked up another victim’s jacket left on a chair and set it on fire before walking away. He later tried to ignite another person’s clothing outside one of the mall entrances, police said.

The Toronto Police Service told The Epoch Times that the victims and the suspect aren’t known to each other. The age and gender of the victims have not been disclosed, and no injuries have been reported in connection with the incidents. 

McFarlane faces charges including assault with a weapon, arson, two counts of common nuisance, causing a disturbance, and four counts of failing to comply with a probation order. He was set to appear in court at the Toronto Regional Bail Centre on Dec. 30, police said.

In a similar incident earlier this year in Ajax, Ont., a woman allegedly tried to set another woman’s hijab on fire. A hijab is a head covering commonly worn by Muslim women.

The incident occurred around noon at the Ajax Public Library, according to a March 22 press release from Durham Regional Police. The suspect allegedly yelled profanities at the victim, threw objects at her head, and tried to remove her hijab while pouring an unknown liquid on it. She then attempted to ignite the fabric with a lighter before security intervened.

The suspect, identified as 25-year-old Kaley-Ann Freier, fled the scene but was later arrested by police and charged with two counts of assault with a weapon and three counts of failing to comply with a probation order. Police said she was held for a bail hearing.

Toronto reported 22,784 assault cases in 2024, an increase of more than 2,000 from the previous year, according to the Toronto Police Service’s 2024 annual statistical report. Assault was the most common type of violent crime, accounting for nearly 80 percent of cases. Sexual violations made up 11.4 percent, while robberies accounted for 8.9 percent.

That year, Toronto saw 40 reported cases of attempted murder and 85 homicides.