MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. — A fifth arrest has been made in connection with a Molotov cocktail attack that authorities say left a teenage girl severely burned last year in Miami-Dade’s Naranja neighborhood last year.
Investigators said 37-year-old Daniel Valencia, of Cutler Bay, was arrested Tuesday.
They said a Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office Intelligence Analyst reviewed phone records provided by AT&T and documented that Valencia’s phone was near the victim’s home at the time of the attack.
Authorities said an MDSO deputy later confirmed the findings. They also noted that at approximately 7:35 p.m., Yang Chiong, one of the previously arrested suspects, contacted Valencia.
The arson attack occurred on March 25, 2025, at a home near the 27000 block of Southwest 143rd Street.
Deputies said a “makeshift incendiary” device exploded inside the living room, severely burning a teenage girl. Several children were inside at the time.
Earlier this month, Local 10 News exclusively obtained video of the attack.
They said Chiong, 36, and Ricardo Alberto Munoz Manriquez, 32, were accused of planning and carrying out the attack.
Investigators said Rosita Ashlee Villarreal, 33, and Adrien Perez, 19, were later arrested after authorities tied them to the crime through surveillance video and purchase records of the materials used to make the Molotov cocktail.
Perez told investigators he purchased mason jars and a lighter at Chiong’s request, according to an arrest report.
The report stated that Villarreal and Munoz were also involved in delivering vehicles and coordinating the attack. Investigators said Valencia and Munoz later admitted to participating in setting the fire.
They said fragments of a mason jar, a partially burned wick, and damage to a window consistent with a projectile confirmed the fire was intentionally set.
A motive for the attack has not been released at this time.
Jail records show Valencia, Chiong and Munoz Manriquez are each facing seven counts of attempted murder, first-degree arson, conspiracy to commit arson, and one count of throwing a deadly missile into a dwelling.
Munoz Manriquez also faces a charge of animal cruelty. Authorities said the family dog was injured in the blaze.
As of Wednesday afternoon, Valencia is being held without bond at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. Villarreal and Perez each face one count of first-degree arson and conspiracy. Villarreal and Perez were no longer listed as inmates on the Miami-Dade Corrections & Rehabilitation website.
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