ALACHUA COUNTY, Fla. – A 33-year-old man has been arrested and charged with arson after deputies say he intentionally set two fires at homeless encampments just hours apart on Thursday.
During the afternoon of January 1, 2026, deputies with the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office, along with crews from Alachua County Fire Rescue and Gainesville Fire Rescue, responded to a structure fire at a homeless encampment in the 7700 block of West Newberry Road. A witness who reported the fire told deputies they saw several people run north from the scene and provided descriptions. One individual was identified as a possible suspect, later confirmed as Justin Will Croft, 33.
Deputies canvassed the area but were unable to locate Croft or the others at that time.
Later that evening, around 7 p.m., deputies were called to a second fire at another homeless encampment in the wooded area behind a Publix in the 8000 block of West Newberry Road, just a short distance from the first fire. Once inside the wooded area, deputies spoke with two witnesses who said they personally watched Croft start the first fire and believed he also caused the second blaze.
Investigators also learned that Croft had allegedly threatened one of the witnesses earlier in the day, stating he would “burn her place down” following a verbal argument related to the first fire.
While deputies continued searching the area, three individuals were spotted exiting the woods near Moe’s Southwest Grill shortly before 8:30 p.m. Deputies made contact and detained them for questioning. One of the individuals was identified as Croft. The other two were released at the scene.
Croft was taken into custody and charged with two counts of first-degree arson. The investigation into both fires remains ongoing.
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