Indiana Man Faces Arson Charges After Gruesome Self-Mutilation

UNITED STATES: Man cut off his p£n!s, set it on fire to commit arson at his neighbour’s garage

A man has been charged with arson after allegedly cutting off his own g£nitals, soaking them in petrol and using them to start a fire inside a neighbour’s garage.

Christopher Peden, 36, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, is facing an arson charge after allegedly going on a gruesome early-morning rampage that left him seriously injured and prompted emergency crews to respond to two separate incidents simultaneously.

According to reports citing a probable cause affidavit, firefighters and police were dispatched on May 6 after receiving reports of a garage fire.

At the same time, officers also responded to a separate report of a stabbing in downtown Fort Wayne. Police later found Peden suffering severe injuries.

He allegedly told officers he had been threatened the day before, then stabbed by an unknown attacker. While being treated in hospital, Peden allegedly then admitted to an officer that he had lied about being attacked, True Crime News reported. He reportedly confessed his injuries were self-inflicted.

Investigators claim Peden entered a residential garage carrying a kitchen knife at around 2am. He allegedly mutilated himself, severing his own genitals, then poured petrol directly onto the amputated organ.

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The affidavit claims he then set it alight on the garage floor just inside the door, using the burning body part to ignite a fire inside the building, the New York Post reported.

After starting the blaze, he reportedly left the garage and walked away from the area until he encountered police.

Fire investigators later recovered what they say are key items from the scene, including a red plastic petrol container, four lighters and a kitchen knife. Public court records have not disclosed a motive for the bizarre alleged act.

It is also unclear what happened to the severed genitalia. Court documents seen by US outlets do not specify whether investigators were able to locate or recover it.

Peden now faces a Level 4 felony arson charge, Wane 15 reported. If convicted, he could be jailed for up to 12 years.