Man Convicted for Dangerous Transbay Terminal Fire

San Francisco prosecutors said a jury on May 21 convicted Viengphet Sasone, 48, of possessing an incendiary device after a fire at the Transbay Terminal in December 2025. The San Francisco District Attorney’s Office said the case stemmed from a garbage-can fire in the terminal’s Muni plaza that was extinguished before it spread. District Attorney Brooke Jenkins called the conduct “incredibly dangerous” and said the outcome followed a jury trial. The office identified the charge as a violation of California Penal Code 453(a). ### Who was convicted, and of what charge? Viengphet Sasone was convicted of possession of an incendiary device, according to a May 21 press release from the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office. Prosecutors said the verdict came after a jury trial in San Francisco and tied the charge to a fire inside the Transbay Terminal. (sfdistrictattorney.org) The district attorney’s office identified Sasone’s age as 48 and listed the matter under court number 25027264. The release did not include a sentencing date or say whether additional charges were filed in the case. ### What did prosecutors say happened inside the terminal? Prosecutors said the fire was set on December 13, 2025, at about 4:30 a.m. in the Muni plaza of the Transbay Terminal in San Francisco. (sfdistrictattorney.org) According to the district attorney’s office, Sasone set bedding on fire on top of a garbage can under an escalator. A Transbay Terminal security guard saw Sasone near the fire and alerted a colleague, prosecutors said. The second guard put out the fire with an extinguisher before it caused what Jenkins described as “significant damage” to the terminal or disrupted passengers traveling to and from downtown. (sfdistrictattorney.org) ### How was Sasone arrested? San Francisco police officers arrived at the scene and arrested Sasone, according to the district attorney’s office. Prosecutors said he was in possession of an orange lighter when officers took him into custody. The district attorney’s office said the prosecution relied on testimony and evidence presented at trial, as well as what it described as a thorough San Francisco Police Department investigation. (sfdistrictattorney.org) The release did not provide additional detail about surveillance footage, witness testimony or defense arguments at trial. ### What did Brooke Jenkins and the trial prosecutor say about the verdict? Brooke Jenkins said in the release that the fire could have caused major damage without the intervention of terminal staff. She thanked “Transbay security staff” and said their work, together with law enforcement, helped keep the public safe. (sfdistrictattorney.org) Assistant District Attorney Kirk Earl, whom the office identified as the trial prosecutor, said the fire was still small when it was extinguished but that “any fire in public has the potential to cause serious harm.” Earl said the verdict showed that “dangerous behavior like this will not be tolerated in San Francisco.” (sfdistrictattorney.org) ### What is known about the next step in the case? The district attorney’s office said the case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Kirk Earl, with assistance from paralegal Raquel Paz Aleman and IT support from Ada Yu and Leland Chan. The release did not say when Sasone will return to court for sentencing or whether prosecutors will seek custody time, probation or other penalties. (sfdistrictattorney.org) San Francisco Superior Court’s public information pages say criminal case information is available through the court’s online services, and the district attorney’s release lists the matter as court number 25027264. As of the release on May 21, prosecutors had announced the conviction but had not published further scheduling details. (sf.courts.ca.gov) (sfdistrictattorney.org)