Unmasking a Killer Serial Arsonist

The story of how investigators unmasked the most prolific American arsonist of the 20th century.

✦ Corrections ✦

There are two chapter IVs. My bad.

✦ Chapters ✦

00:00 Intro
01:49 On the Edge
18:03 Fires Everywhere
24:36 Sponsor: The White Vault
25:49 Escalation
35:26 Burn it All
39:20 Time to Find Out
46:53 Let the Games Begin
50:29 HE WROTE EVERYTHING HE DID OUT IN A BOOK AND TRIED TO GET IT PUBLISHED
55:25 A Strange Story
01:09:36 In Cold Blood
01:18:19 Mask Off

✦ Disclaimer ✦

This video is for educational purposes ONLY. The events described and shown are historically significant, and this educational documentary acts as a comprehensive recollection of those events based on journalistic evidence and reporting. The actions mentioned are in no way condoned. The video uses fictionalized 3D recreations to tell the story. Where possible, these are based on information that is in the public domain, but some creative license is used.

✦ References ✦

Newspaper articles and citations shown on screen notwithstanding, the timeline and all other information is from three sources. These sources contain first hand accounts from people who were close to either John and/or the investigation and are as follows:

Fire Lover: A True Story by Joseph Wambaugh (2002)
Burned: Pyromania, Murder, and A Daughter's Nightmare by Frank C. Girardot Jr. and Lori Orr Kovach (2018)
Firebug by Kary Antholis (2023)

[tatecore]

When a YouTube channel has all of 8 videos and still has managed to amass almost 400k subs it's a pretty clear testament to the quality of those videos.

[gabiiratii]

frito bandito, cointosser and pillow pirate are the craziest nicknames for a serial arsonist and i salute you for being able to say these without laughing

[autoresponder]

The absolute Freudian slip of starting an introspective piece in 3rd person about the acts committed by your character and then ending it with a 1st person remark.

The audacity of this man. Absolutely amazing documentary.

[The_Khuzdul]

The fact that the Witness descriptions of john described him as 'Average' must have infuriated him

[somelurker]

"It was too bad about the baby, but shit, it wasn't my fault."

Jesus. What a cold-blooded line.

[LaurasBookBlog]

"There's no way John would write all his crimes down in a book and try to get it published"

[Always Sunny music begins to play]

[duskydancing]

The fact that the arsonist remembered what flavor of ice cream that little boy wanted and recollected it in detail is incredibly disturbing. And blaming a woman and her grandchild for dying in a fire for "behaving stupidly" and absolving himself of murder... I can't imagine how the victims' families, especially Billy, felt hearing that chapter be read in court.

[Renzy_YT]

That closing minute was jarring. Genuinely can not comprehend that it's just one person behind this channel. I could've sworn you were a hired narrator, a team of editors, and a graphic designer, at minimum. You absolutely deserve your success and more.

[Ncturne_]

I'm always hesitant listening to true crime due to how often lost lives are brushed passed in favor of the drama, but listening to each victim be named and for us to be reminded of their lives and loved ones was really touching and respectful.

[bendybus]

I think a real 'devil is in the details' moment can be had at 55:22 when you realise that he wrote "It wasn't my fault" in a book that is written in third person.

[paulie.d]

You already know Marv was insufferable at the next Arson Investigators Conference after John was charged lol

[uffle]

Psychologist: You have a problem with authority and are not allowed to join
John: No I don't, look at this test I went and got that says I can

[digitsonthebac]

55:00 the pov switch from “not his fault” to “not my fault” in one paragraph. seems like it’s absolutely telling of John’s feelings given everything else in the book

[UnknownUser-fezu]

The Frito Bandito has got to be the funniest nickname for a serial criminal I have ever heard. 😂😂

[JMBAD_art]

I simply cannot believe that you’re a one woman team. Some of the best work I’ve seen on YouTube in my tens of years on this site. You should be… unbelievably proud of what you’ve created here.

[sophistoast]

The care and respect shown to those who died was so touching, so often people just mention the casualties and then move on. But it is a testament to your storytelling ability and tact to show such respect when talking about the tragedy.

[TheTexas]

The fact that John wrote his crimes in a book and tried to publish it is just wild

[hezhekov]

The narration on this channel isn’t praised enough. It’s softer on the ears, easier to listen to than most other amateur documentarians on YouTube. This really is professional in every way.

[snarkbotanya]

This documentary is incredibly good. It's thoroughly researched, well-produced, narrated clearly and professionally, and above all, it remembers and respects those who died.

Jim Obdam really deserves to be remembered for his heroism during the Ole's fire. He wasn't a cop and didn't chase after criminals or carry a gun, he was a retail employee who found himself in a horrible situation and chose to risk his life to try and rescue complete strangers. That's a level of true bravery and heroism I don't think John Orr and his loose-cannon cop fantasy realize exists. Jim probably felt horrible that he couldn't save Ada and Matthew, but he did so much more than many people would have.

[OldeSchoolGirl]

Narrator’s voice and cadence in relating the events to the audience is truly gifted.