A suspect in a case of arson at the Emeryville Target has been arrested and charged more than a year after the incident took place according to a report by the The East Bay Times.
29-year-old Sacramento resident Brezjana Wilson has been charged in the case that she has already confessed to according to the report.
@alhjajifilms Target on fire #oakland #target #Emeryville #BayArea #California #Berkeley #Albany, #BayAreaNews ♬ original sound – Walid Alhajaji
The incident occurred back on November 23, 2023 at approximately 9:10 p.m.
A video posted on TikTok showed a section of the store near the pharmacy engulfed in flames. The source of the blaze was later determined to be clothing that were intentionally ignited.
The fire was quickly extinguished by the building’s commercial sprinkler system but still caused a significant amount of damage. Miraculously, the store opened the following day with the damaged area partitioned off.
At the time, their was no motive for the blaze although we noted an emerging pattern where retail thieves were setting small blazes as a diversion. The Emeryville store was the victim of a similar incident in 2022 where an arrest was also made.
UPDATE: Brezjana Wilson, charged by @AlamedaCountyDA w/breaking into @thenorthface via skylight & dropping down to help steal iPhones & $20K in merch, left behind $7,500 in safe on dolly & another $30K in clothing, per @berkeleypolice, seeking at least 2 others pic.twitter.com/mZ8pktWal1
— Henry K. Lee (@henrykleeKTVU) January 31, 2025
According to the EBT report, after gathering the items she intended to steal, Wilson started the fire before running out of the emergency exit with the items.
Wilson has also been arrested and charged with a brazen January, 2024 robbery of the Berkeley North Face store where she rappelled from the roof of the store before making off with $20,000 in clothing and electronics. Wilson was identified through a DNA match found on screwdriver she had left behind at the North Face robbery.
Wilson also has a prior arrest and conviction for catalytic converter theft in Petaluma and has an extensive record that goes back to 2014.
Wilson was released from jail on her own recognizance and is expected to enter a plea at her scheduled Feb. 28 Alameda County court date.
Bay Area News Group reporter Nate Gartrell is one of the few local reporters adept at following up on these cases when they enter the criminal justice system. Gartrell is the recent recipient of the Society of Professional Journalists, Northern California chapter Journalist of the Year award.
I’m curious to see if she reoffends before February 28.