A self-styled labor activist who claims he was economically exploited by both Kimberly-Clark and NFI Industries while he was working at the Ontario distribution center operated by the latter exacted revenge against both Tuesday morning by by torching the contents and the internal workings of his workplace, resulting what is estimated as a half of a billion dollars damages.
Chamel Abdulkarim, 29, apparently was motivated by intense resentment toward the companies and had no intention of sidestepping responsibility for what he did, having recorded videos of himself as he engaged in the mayhem, which consisted of igniting highly flammable paper goods stacked on pallets throughout the warehouse, located at 4815 S. Hellman Avenue in Ontario, while he made statements conveying what he said was the issue that motivated his actions – corporate greed – while he intimated that the companies would be subject to more of the same if they did not provide what he and his colleagues at the facility considered a fair and decent wage. /s/ Complainant’s signature
As Abdulkarim was engaged in the mayhem inside the facility sometime between midnight and 12:30 a.m. on April 7, he posted to his personal Instagram account, “gentleman_without_a_filter,” a video in which a pallet of a paper product can be seen while a voice, later identified as that of Abdulkarim is heard saying, “If you’re not going to pay us enough to fucking live or afford to live, at least pay us enough not to do this shit.” A hand holding a lighter bearing “FC Bayern Munich” branding is then seen within the video’s visual frame as the lighter is used to set the paper products on fire. The video continued to show, from a first-person perspective, an individual using the same lighter setting fires to multiple pallets of paper goods inside a warehouse. The video then cut to a shot depicting a pallet of paper products set on fire within a large warehouse
The video then showed the camera pointed at the ground and the same voice said, “should have paid us enough to fucking live.” The video footage then depicted the inside of a large warehouse with a pallet burning in the distance. Thereafter, a left hand holding a cigarette and a right hand holding the ligher are visible on the video, as Abdulkarim is heard saying, “You know, we may not get paid enough to fucking live, but these bitches dirt cheap.”
The video then depicted a wide shot of the warehouse with several pallets of paper good on fire. What sounds to be Abdulkarim’s voice repeats several times “All you had to do was pay us enough to live.”
The last shot of the video showed the fire spreading throughout the warehouse as the voice says, “There goes your inventory.”
Meanwhile, according to information gleaned from both NFI Industries corporate officers and and the City of Ontario’s public safety dispatch logs approximately 18 employees were working the graveyard shift on April 7, 2026 at the warehouse located at inside the warehouse at 4815 South Hellman Avenue when, at 12:34 a.m., the Ontario Police Department received a call for service for a structure fire. The Ontario Fire Department responded and requested assistance from multiple additional fire departments due to the size of the fire and the need to ensure the fire did not spread to surrounding buildings. All employees successfully evacuated and no injuries were reported. An initial appraisal by a local fire inspector was that the structure fire was likely caused by arson.
Employees at the scene stated Abdulkarim had been present at the warehouse prior to the start of the fire, but was not present with the other evacuated employees. Information indicates that as the employees were moved to a position out of harm’s way, an effort to located Abdulkarim and ascertain if he was yet in the warehouse was begun.
Firefighters and the police who had responded to the location reported the building was completely engulfed in flames by 1:15 a.m. Approximately 175 firefighters from 14 agencies responded to contain the fire. The entire 1.2 million square foot warehouse caught fire. An NFI Industries manager initially estimated that the fire caused approximately $500,000,000 worth of damage to property and products inside the warehouse.
Around the same time as the call for service for the structure fire, a woman identified by federal authorities as “Witness 1” and described as someone who “has a close personal relationship with Abdulkarim” and his “roommate,” called the Ontario Police Department, according to federal officials “to request a wellness check” on him. According to a document subsequently prepared by an investigator with the FBI, “Shortly before the fire, Witness 1 received text messages from Abdulkarim that stated he wanted to ‘say goodbye’ and that ‘he just wants to hear her voice one more time.’ Witness 1 also told the dispatcher that Abdulkarim worked at 4815 South Hellman Avenue.”
The FBI, which knows Witness 1’s identity, is concealing it to protect her privacy.
“Witness 1 recorded a portion of this conversation with Abdulkarim, and provided the recording to law enforcement,” according to an affidavit filed with the federal court by the lead agent with the FBI team that looked into the arson perpetrated by Abdulkarim. That agent is currently assigned to FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office and the Riverside Resident Agency for a federal joint terrorism task force, where he investigates individuals who commit violent criminal acts in furtherance of their political and social ideology.
According to the agent, “During that call, Witness 1 asked about Abdulkarim’s motivation for setting the fire and Abdulkarim responded, ‘They had it coming . . . fucking eight hours, six days, [unintelligible] stuck paying rent on a bullshit ass apartment that I can’t afford to fucking live . . . pedophiles out here fucking children, profiting off [unintelligible] fucking wars.’ In the same call, Abdulkarim also stated ‘a lot of people are going to understand’ and then compared what he did to when ‘Luigi popped that mutherfucker.’ Abdulkarim also said, ‘I just cost these motherfuckers billions.’”
The reference to Luigia was to Luigi Mangione, who is facing 11 New York state charges and four federal charges in the December 4, 2024 murder of Untied HealthCare DEC Brian Thompson in Manhattan.
According to the FBI agent, “Abdulkarim sent to Witness 1 multiple photographs via text message of the exterior of the building and the fire as he was walking away from the warehouse. According to messages provide to law enforcement, Abdulkarim texted a co-worker about his motivation for the arson at approximately 1:33 a.m. on April 7, 2026. In those messages, Abdulkarim texted, among other things, the following: ‘1% is a fucking joke’; ‘Billionaires profiting off of war…’; and ‘All you had to do was pay us enough to live. Pay us more of the value WE bring. Not corporate. Didn’t see the shareholders picking up a shift.”
Ontario police officers arrived at the warehouse while the fire was yet raging, at that point looking for Adulkarim in particular, who had not been among the roughly 17 workers at the warehouse who had evacuated safely shortly around 12:30 a.m. Sometime thereafter, officers encountered Abdulkarim roughly two miles from the warehouse walking along a sidewalk. Their interaction with him was recorded by at least one Ontario PD Officer’s body-worn camera. According to the FBI agent who reviewed the body camera footage taken from one of the officer’s perspective, Abdulkarim approached the officers with his hands up and a flashlight from his cellphone pointed at the officers. “He appeared to be talking on the phone with someone,” according to the affidavit of the FBI agent. “Abdulkarim stated he was ‘turning himself in.’ Abdulkarim did not respond when asked what his name was but pulled his wallet out of his pocket and threw it at the feet of a nearby police officer.”
One of the police officers asked Abdulkarim whom he was on the phone with, and he replied, “my roommate,” according to the FBI agent.
Abdulkarim sat on the edge of the sidewalk after being directed to by an Ontario police officer. When asked by one of the officers where he worked, Abdulkarim, responded, “That fire shit right there.”
According to the FBI agent, “Abdulkarim also told officers, ‘I’m confessing.’Ontario PD placed Abdulkarim in handcuffs and searched his pockets. During this search, an officer found a lighter with ‘FC Bayern Munich’ branding. Following being taken into custody, an officer asked if Abdulkarim’s name is ‘Chamel’ and he replied ‘Yes, that is the name on my wallet.’ At this point, Abdulkarim stopped answering officers’ questions saying, ‘I don’t answer questions.’”
The fire escalated into a six-alarm emergency, which ultimately entailed a response by at least 140 firefighters and reportedly as many as 175, who were staging from more than 20 fire engines from several agencies. Large sections of the roof collapsed both from the fire and as a consequence of the intense. The warehouse was valued at approximately $156 million. The contents of the warehouse, said to represent a three months’ supply of the wipes, paper towels, diapers and facial tissues to be consumed by one-fourth to one-third of the population of the American Southwest, were a total loss. The approximate retail value of its contents, has been placed at $450 million.
An intensive multi-agency investigation ensued after Abdulkarim’s, arrest, which included a search warrant being served at his residence in Highland.
Both the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office moved quickly to file charges against him. The obvious charges that loom under both prosecutorial authorities pertain to arson.
According to the lead FBI agent, the warehouse building he is accused of destroying was is used in interstate commerce and was used in activities affecting interstate commerce, such that he can be prosecuted under federal law, specifically 18 United States code Section 844(i). Despite his eligibility for federal charges being lodged against him, federal prosecutors are going to defer to the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office because a state statute that is going to be applied in this case will, upon conviction, entail a more substantial penalty, conceivably resulting in life imprisonment. That crime is Penal Code Section 451.5(a), aggravated arson. In addition to the single aggravated arson charge, the district attorney’s office is also hitting him with six Arson of a Structure or Forest in violation of Penal Code Section 451(c) charges. All seven are felony charges, with the 451.5(a) charge being the most serious and applying to the destruction of the entire warehouse. The six other charges grow out of what are known to be, as a consequence of the videos and photos that Abdulkarim made of his action, six separate fires he lit while in the warehouse.
In addition, according to the district attorney’s office, Abdulkarim will likely spend most of, if not the rest, of his life incarcerated because of the sentencing enhancements prosecutors will endeavor to have the jury or judge apply to him in this case.
“Chamel A. Abdulkarim is eligible for imprisonment in the state prison due to: the current charge is a serious or violent felony; defendant Chamel A. Abdulkarim has a prior serious or violent felony conviction; defendant Chamel A. Abdulkarim has been convicted of a crime with a Penal Code section 186.11 enhancement. It is further alleged as to each count, pursuant to Penal Code section 1170, subdivision (b)(2), that the following circumstances may apply in this case: The crime involved great violence, great bodily harm, threat of great bodily harm, or other acts disclosing a high degree of cruelty, viciousness, or callousness; The defendant was armed with or used a weapon at the time of the commission of the crime; The victim was particularly vulnerable; The defendant induced others to participate in the commission of the crime or occupied a position of leadership or dominance of other participants in its commission; The defendant induced a minor to commit or assist in the commission of the crime; The defendant threatened witnesses, unlawfully prevented or dissuaded witnesses from testifying, suborned perjury, or in any other way illegally interfered with the judicial process; The defendant was convicted of other crimes for which consecutive sentences could have been imposed but for which concurrent sentences are being imposed; The manner in which the crime was carried out indicates planning, sophistication, or professionalism; The crime involved an attempted or actual taking or damage of great monetary value; The crime involved a large quantity of contraband; The defendant took advantage of a position of trust or confidence to commit the offense. The crime constitutes a hate crime under section 422.55; The defendant has engaged in violent conduct that indicates a serious danger to society; The defendant’s prior convictions as an adult or sustained petitions in juvenile delinquency proceedings are numerous or of increasing seriousness; The defendant has served a prior term in prison or county jail under section 1170(h); The defendant was on probation, mandatory supervision, postrelease community supervision, or parole when the crime was committed; and The defendant’s prior performance on probation, mandatory supervision, postrelease community supervision, or parole was unsatisfactory; and any other aggravating factors that may be permitted by law.”
Despite a Sentinel request, the district attorney’s office did not disclose or provide any documents relating to what prior serious or violent felony Abdulkarim was convicted of; what crime with a Penal Code section 186.11 enhancement Abdulkarim had been convicted of; what great bodily harm had actually rather than potentially resulted from Abdulkarim’s action; how or with what weapon Abdulkarim was armed at the time of the arson; who the others he induced to participate in the commission of the crime were; what minor he induced to commit or assist in the commission of the crime; what witnesses he threatened or unlawfully prevented or dissuaded from testifying, suborned perjury from; what other crimes he was convicted of for which consecutive sentences could have been imposed but for which concurrent sentences were imposed; and what contraband was involved in the commission of the crime.
The Sentinel’s survey of San Bernardino County Superior Court records turned up no indication Abdulkarim had been convicted of any criminal offense in San Bernardino County. Whatever conviction or convictions referenced by the district attorney’s office apparently took place elsewhere.
While there were no criminal cases involving Abdulkarim in San Bernardino County, there were two civil cases which might shed light on what occurred earlier this week.
Abdulkarim’s constant refrain during both of his phone calls, one with his roommate and one with another worker at NFI Industries, and during his social media posting prior to, during and after his act[s] of arson with regard to not having been paid enough in his social media posting and it both phone calls, is reflected in a lawsuit that was filed against him by Midland Credit Management, Inc., which was attempting to recover money that company said he owed it. That lawsuit, filed in August 2025 and which is yet ongoing, seems to undergird his contention that he is experiencing difficulty and has fallen behind the eight ball financially as his wages as an NFI Industries employee been insufficient for him to keep his head above water.
In February 2024, Abdulkarim, represented by David Myers, Jason Hatcher and Andriana Bravo of the Rancho Cucamonga-based Myers Law Group, filed suit against Primeflight Aviation Services, Inc., a Delaware Corporation, an unfair labor action for failure to provide rest periods, failure to provide accurate wage statements, failure to pay wages due at separation and unfair competition. The lawsuit was launched as a class action suit, on on Abdulkarim’s behalf and “all of those similarly situated.” In December of 2024, the parties reached a
a fully executed settlement agreement and in February of 2025, the case was dismissed with its class action status being resolved. The circumstance suggests that Abdulkarim considered himself to be a crusader with regard to employee rights.
He found himself channeled into a blue collar position, working in warehouse. While there has been an intense round of development of warehousing in the Inland Empire and San Bernardino County going back for fifteen years, with local politicians welcoming such projects based upon the assertion that they represent economic development and employment opportunities, reform and economic justice advocates have simultaneously maintained that warehouses to not offer employment at wages that are substantial enough for workers to be able to support a family, and that the relatively unskilled labor that takes place within them is suitable only for the poorly educated portion of the region’s workforce.
Abdulkarim’s frustration at his situation appears to have boiled over into some very destructive action.
He remains in custody at the West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga, where he was booked on charges of felony arson of a structure and aggravated arson. He is being held without bail.