Ontario Mills Mall (Multiple Store Arsons)

The Fire

Three days after the Kimberly-Clark distribution center arson just miles away, a 28-year-old man entered Ontario Mills Mall and intentionally set fires inside multiple retail stores: True Religion, Marshalls, Nordstrom, and The North Face. The fires were set across different areas of the large indoor mall.

Ontario Police and Ontario Fire responded. The mall was evacuated and temporarily closed while firefighters extinguished the blazes. The suspect, Luis Javier Gallegos Jr. of Rancho Cucamonga, was arrested on scene; officers encountered resistance during apprehension and a use-of-force incident occurred during his arrest.

No injuries were reported beyond those related to the arrest. Damage was limited to the affected stores.

Cause

Confirmed arson. Gallegos was found in possession of a lighter and a backpack and was observed setting fires inside multiple stores. He was arrested at the scene. Investigators looked into whether the incident was connected to the April 7 Kimberly-Clark warehouse fire but found no confirmed link — the two cases involve different suspects and different facilities.

Ownership & Operations

Ontario Mills is one of the largest outlet and value retail malls in the United States, owned and operated by Simon Property Group. Located in Ontario, CA (San Bernardino County), it is approximately 10 miles from the Kimberly-Clark distribution center on Philadelphia Street.

Suspect / Arrests

Luis Javier Gallegos Jr., 28, of Rancho Cucamonga, CA. Arrested on scene on April 10, 2026. Charged with arson. A use-of-force incident occurred during arrest.

No connection to Chamel Abdulkarim (the Kimberly-Clark suspect) was confirmed.

Labor Connection

None. No statement, social media post, manifesto, or other evidence of a labor/wage motive has been reported. The incident appears to be unrelated to the labor-protest framing of the April 7 Kimberly-Clark fire.

Social Media Reaction

The Ontario Mills fire was noted on social media as part of the broader "Ontario fires" narrative, with some posts conflating it with the Kimberly-Clark arson. However, these are distinct incidents with distinct suspects, different facility types (retail mall vs. distribution warehouse), and no confirmed shared motive. KTLA's coverage noted the mall was "torched just 3 days after $650 million warehouse inferno," a framing that invited comparisons. The social media list compiled by @cloclopuffs96 on Threads listed this as the second Ontario, CA entry for the April 7–14 cluster.