logo
Person killed in San Jose arson fire identified as local marketing business owner

Person killed in San Jose arson fire identified as local marketing business owner

CBS News6 days ago
A San Jose business owner was identified as the person who died in an arson fire Sunday that destroyed the building where his company was located.
Family and friends identified the victim as 51-year-old Christopher Tran. His company, marketing firm BrandingOut, was one of two companies housed in a two-story building that burned early Sunday morning in the city's Roosevelt Park neighborhood
Firefighters were not able to search the building initially because of the risk of the building collapsing. On Monday, Tran's body was found inside the rubble of the building, and police arrested a suspect, identified as 35-year-old San Jose resident Yessenia Estrada.
On Wednesday, about a dozen of Tran's family and friends were at a San Jose courthouse for Estrada's scheduled arraignment, which was continued to Friday because she is on a psychiatric hold.
"I hurt, but I don't know how to explain how hurting I am right now," said his mother, Vicky Huynh. "Fifty-one years with him. Can I borrow your tears? Because no more tear. I'm numb."
Huynh said she talked to her son almost every day. He told her he was working late on Saturday night, preparing for an upcoming vacation.
Friends of Tran told CBS News Bay Area that they became concerned after not being able to reach Tran after the fire, and that he often worked late or overnight at his business. They described him as a hard worker and generous. In his spare time, he was an avid outdoorsman and runner.
Huynh said her son always responded to her calls or texts, so when he didn't answer after the fire, she got worried.
"Every minute, every second is like somebody is stabbing my heart, and my brain didn't know what to do," she said.
BrandingOut, which offers print and digital marketing services, posted a message on its Instagram account on Tuesday, saying the company "will be temporarily closed until further notice."
It was initially reported that there were no injuries in the fire until Tran's family members told police that he may have been inside.
"Family members of a victim responded to the scene, so that prompted a search for any potential victims inside of the structure," said San Jose Police Department spokesperson Officer Tanya Hernandez.
Witness accounts and surveillance footage led investigators to identify Estrada as a suspect and take her into custody. She is charged with involuntary manslaughter and felony arson.
Police confirmed that Estrada is unhoused. The incident was San Jose's 14th homicide of 2025.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Among the trove of new photos is one showing Epstein with Trump and his young children, Eric and Ivanka.
Among the trove of new photos is one showing Epstein with Trump and his young children, Eric and Ivanka.

Yahoo

time5 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Among the trove of new photos is one showing Epstein with Trump and his young children, Eric and Ivanka.

New photos and footage of Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein have been unearthed offering fresh insight into the pair's relationship despite the president's repeated attempts to distance himself. Epstein and Trump appear in a number of pictures surfaced by CNN and aired Tuesday night. Among them are images showing Epstein as a guest at the president's wedding to Marla Maples. CNN's KFILE uncovered two photos showing the disgraced financier at Trump's December 1993 wedding at the Plaza Hotel in New York. It also obtained footage from a 1999 Victoria's Secret runway event in New York, showing Trump, accompanied by his future wife Melania Trump, chatting to Epstein.

Felon who allegedly barreled car through LA nightclub crowd faces 37 attempted murder charges
Felon who allegedly barreled car through LA nightclub crowd faces 37 attempted murder charges

Fox News

time7 minutes ago

  • Fox News

Felon who allegedly barreled car through LA nightclub crowd faces 37 attempted murder charges

A convicted felon who allegedly drove his car through a crowd of people outside a Los Angeles nightclub over the weekend has been indicted. Fernando Ramirez, 29, of San Clemente, faces 37 charges of attempted murder and 37 counts of assault with a deadly weapon, all felonies, from a crash that left 37 injured outside the Vermont Hollywood nightclub Saturday night. "We understand that this brazen act has shaken the community and, but for the good grace of God, this could have been a mass casualty incident," LA County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said, according to WPLG. Hochman said eight people suffered "great bodily injury." "When he drove that car onto that sidewalk, he aimed it at a whole sea of pedestrians that were in front of him on the sidewalk at 2 a.m.," Hochman said. The victims were mostly women waiting to enter the Hollywood nightclub when Ramirez allegedly ran them down in his Nissan Versa. The vehicle also traveled over a food vending cart and a valet stand. Adding to the chaos, bystanders reportedly pulled Ramirez from his disabled vehicle and assaulted him. During the altercation, a man pulled a gun and shot Ramirez. Police are still searching for that suspect. Ramirez has a lengthy criminal history and was out of prison on parole at the time of the crash. KNBC reported he was convicted of felony battery from an attack on a man outside a Whole Foods in 2019 and sentenced to prison the following year. It is unclear whether his parole release was related to that conviction. The report said Ramirez has at least "11 criminal cases ranging from misdemeanors to felonies" since 2014, citing the Orange County District Attorney's Office. The 2014 charge was gang-related, and Ramirez has a pending 2024 drunk driving case and a pending 2022 domestic violence case that are both unresolved. He faces life in prison if convicted on the charges related to the car ramming.

Graphic video disrupts virtual public comment portion of Baltimore school board meeting
Graphic video disrupts virtual public comment portion of Baltimore school board meeting

CBS News

time7 minutes ago

  • CBS News

Graphic video disrupts virtual public comment portion of Baltimore school board meeting

A pornographic video disrupted the virtual public comment portion of a Baltimore City school board meeting Tuesday evening, according to our media partner The Baltimore Banner. It's not clear how the video got shown during the public participation part of the meeting, which included prerecorded videos, the Banner reports. Baltimore City Public Schools spokesperson Sherry Christian told the Banner that a "graphically offensive video was displayed to participants." Christian added that the meeting was paused as soon as the video was discovered. "The meeting was recessed briefly while our team assessed the implications and determined the safest way to proceed," Christian said. According to the Banner, a reporter watching the meeting from home only saw a frozen screen of Board Chair Robert Salley during the public comment portion of the meeting. However, those attending in person saw the video, according to the Banner. Salley said the livestreaming was ending, but the rest of the meeting was continuing in person, the Banner reports. Some commissioners who joined the meeting through Microsoft Teams ended their sessions. The Banner says the continuation of the school board meeting was being recorded and uploaded to City Schools TV on YouTube. "We take this incident very seriously and are actively working with our technology team to prevent similar disruptions in the future," Christian told the Banner.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store