Restaurateur Bobby Salazar accused of hiring gang member to torch his Fresno business
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Federal investigators charged Bobby Salazar for orchestrating an arson plot.
- Surveillance and text messages linked Salazar to two known co-conspirators.
- Salazar faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted on both arson charges.
Well-known Fresno restaurant owner Bobby Salazar has been arrested on arson charges, accused of hiring a motorcycle gang member to torch one of his underperforming restaurants, according to a federal criminal complaint.
Salazar, 63, owner of two popular Mexican food restaurants bearing his name, is accused of enlisting the president of the local Screamin’ Demons Motorcycle gang in Sanger to burn down Bobby Salazar’s Mexican Restaurant at 2389 N. Blackstone on April 2, 2024.
Salazar is charged with arson of commercial property and arson in furtherance of a felony.
Although Salazar told Fresno Fire Department investigators he had no knowledge of how the fire started, his insurance company ultimately paid him $980,739 for the loss.
But local and federal investigators quickly determined the fire was not an accident.
On April 2, at about 2:14 a.m., the Fresno Fire Department responded to a fire at the location of the restaurant. After the fire was extinguished, an ignitable liquid detection K9 walked through the building and alerted investigators to multiple fire origins according to the complaint
Investigators also found two partially burned gas cans in the kitchen of the restaurant. Surveillance video from a nearby home showed two suspects, a male and female, in a black SUV driving slowly in front of the restaurant prior to the fire. The SUV eventually stopped, parking behind the restaurant. A male subject is seen unloading two gas cans from the vehicle.
“The male subject walked out the back door and picked up the two gas cans, then went back inside the restaurant. At approximately 2:08 a.m., the back door opened again. The female exited first, and the male stopped in the entryway, leaned down, and ignited a fire. A large flash of light occurred, and flames instantly became visible. The two subjects returned to the SUV and left southbound on Blackstone Ave.,” according to the complaint.
With a warrant, investigators were able to obtain location data from cell phones and located the female suspect, identified in court records as co-conspirator 2, at her home in Fresno.
Although she denied setting the fire, she told fire investigators Salazar “paid someone she knows to set the fire.”
Text messages obtained by investigators also reveal Salazar’s connection to the male defendant, identified as co-conspirator 1.
“CO-CONSPIRATOR 2 then asks “so did he finish paying,” to which COCONSPIRATOR 1 replied, “not until Monday…no had to talk to him about this money he owes. Got it straighten out now want me to come by and tell u about it or no?”
When questioned by federal investigators, Salazar denied knowing either of the co-conspirators and said he had nothing to do with the fire.
The investigator also asked Salazar about past incidents involving accusations of firebombing his perceived enemies.
In February, 2020, a former employee, who filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against him, accused him of “firebombing” her cars, a charge he denied. He also denied being involved in a Molotov cocktail that was thrown at the law office window of the attorney for that employee.
Salazar was also accused on July 28, 2020, of firebombing his ex-brother-in-law’s residence with a Molotov cocktail. The fire was set shortly after the ex-brother-in-law divorced his sister and terminated business dealings with her and Salazar.
Kristin E. Loeffler Special Agent, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, stated in the criminal complaint that Salazar has boasted about being willing to use fire to carry out criminal ends.
Loeffler notes that one of the witnesses in the latest arson cases reported that they observed two men watching their house during the night.
“The next morning, the two men came to his/her door and knocked on the door. When the witness answered, one of the two men told the witness that the witness needs to keep his/her mouth shut about the fire because “Bobby” was not going down for it. The witness said his/her neighbor also observed the men taking pictures of the witness’ house with their phones,” according to the complaint.
Salazar is expected to make an initial court appearance on Aug. 27, 2025, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara A. McAuliffe in Fresno at 2:00 P.M.
If convicted, he faces a mandatory minimum of five years in prison and maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison for commercial arson, as well as 10 years in prison mandatorily consecutive for arson in furtherance of a felony.
This story was originally published August 26, 2025 at 3:43 PM.
