The Wannabe
Jason Alexander Hobby
Denver 7 News recently reported on the arrest of Jason Alexander Hobby, a Colorado resident suspected of starting the Alexander Mountain Fire in Larimer County. The article does a deep dive into Hobby and his obsession with firefighting and law enforcement. Hobby is a classic wannabe.
Wannabes generally are a subset of firefighter/emergency-services arsonists. The typical motive for the wannabe arsonist is heroism/recognition. Based on the reporting by Denver 7 News, there are multiple red flags in Hobby’s history.
“Hobby was the "self-proclaimed 'fire manager' of the Sylvan Dale Guest Ranch,” he "conducting unauthorized armed (firearm) law enforcement duties on the property, by wearing a uniform with law enforcement 'Ranger' insignia, and operating several vehicles with a 'Ranger' star on the door.” During a search warrant service, investigators found clothing from various agencies, including the U.S. Forest Service, Colorado Wildland Fire Management and Montrose Wildland Fire, and they also found shirts that read "Chief Hobby" on it. Additionally they found items that had emblems of "Twin Buttes Fire Protection," however investigators could not identify that department anywhere. They also found that he owned a modified Ford with the same logos. It had been outfitted to look like a fire response vehicle. He allegedly drove the outfitted Ford to bypass road closures and access restricted areas during the Alexander Mountain Fire, representing himself to be a wildland firefighter, Larimer County Sheriff John Feyen said in a press conference in the fall of 2024.”
While not all wannabes are arsonists, investigators should carefully scrutinize anyone who displays these tendencies. However, investigators must do their due diligence and avoid fixating on a suspect merely because they “fit the profile.” There are many cases in which investigators fixated on a person only to discover they had nothing to do with the arson. It is an investigator’s responsibility not only to identify a suspect, but also to exonerate anyone who may have been considered a potential suspect.
For more information on arson motives, check out Ed Nordskog’s book The Arsonist Profiles.