Indiana man charged with arson after injury ignites garage

A Fort Wayne, Indiana, man is facing a felony arson charge after allegedly cutting off his own genitals and using the severed organ to start a fire in a residential garage on May 6. Christopher Peden, 36, was arrested following the early morning incident, which resulted in separate emergency calls for a garage fire and a reported stabbing.

According to court documents, Fort Wayne firefighters were dispatched to the garage fire while police simultaneously responded to a stabbing report. Officers later located Peden with severe injuries. He initially claimed he had been threatened the day before and then stabbed by an unknown assailant in downtown Fort Wayne. However, while receiving treatment at a hospital, Peden told an investigator he had been dishonest and wished to be truthful, subsequently confessing that his injuries were self-inflicted.

Peden allegedly stated he entered the garage around 2 a.m. and used a kitchen knife to sever his own genitals. He then poured gasoline from a container onto the organ and set it on fire on the garage floor just inside the door, igniting the blaze before leaving the area. Fire investigators who examined the scene reported finding a red...