the bomb shell arrest of thomas leper jr. it stunned a neighborhood where he lives. leper allegedly has uncontrollable urges to set fires. he admitted to setting an abandoned home on fire and his own fence on fire. >> you would hope that was not true, but real life is stranger than fiction. >>> what could possibly be so wrong about a bottle of hair spray? well a lot if you use it to set your exboyfriend's clothes on fire. they also said she cut up her ex's coach. texted that he would never see his kids again. thankfully those kids were found safe. >>> things are picking up along florida's coast as h -- hurricane matthew gets closer. >> we have completely lost power in this area. 123,000 just in this immediate area. above us. we're in a sheltered area and these palm trees are already leaning toward us. we're beginning to see the height of hurricane matthew. and what kind of punch it's really going to pack. here in vero beach this was expected to be ground zero. if there was going to be a direct hit it was going to be shifted back to the east. that's going to move that

. >> thomas leper jr. will be brought here. he's already been charged for setting fires near his neighborhood near mcclintock and chandler. chandler investigators swarmed this neighborhood. >> you know fact is stranger than fiction. >> reporter: larry wolf lives across the street. says everybody feel in danger. leper spoke out about the fires to abc15. >> really scared to be told be prepared to wake your children up out of bed. in the middle of the night because of a fire. >> reporter: from playing the victim to suspect number one. police say leper allegedly set fire to a fence lying next door to his home the very next night. >> the type of behavior that unusual when it comes to arsonists. >> leper is known as the mayor of the street. they even pitched in to help him when his property burned. >> he was telling me everything that happened. me and wife went to buy him a gift card so he could fence. >> reporter: police say they put surveillance on lepr. he admitted to leaving a note behind at one of the scenes. we knocked on his d

leper jr. telling police he was coming from the pharmacy when start a fire. he pulled together twigs and leaves, put it next to a wood fence and lit it on fire. >> him crying on the tv saying oh my kids and, you know, reacting to like the fire like he was a victim of it. but he's causing victims to feel this way. i'm surprised he didn't care. >> reporter: leper told police that he came back to the scene of the fire to watch firefighters put out this blaze. he says it's going to take months to get everything back >>> an unsolved and violent attack in the middle of the day. there's been no arrests and we are now hoping for surveillance tape or maybe a suspect sketch. we hope that will be released soon. the parking lot of crackers cafe in tepl -- tempe is where a woman was robbed of her purse. >>> all of this happening southed earn. the owners said the horse let itself out of the pen and then tried to jump over the canal. un unfortunately that horse fell and spent the next 2-1/2 hours fighting for his life. it took a lot of volunteers to keep this horse alive. >

just one of the series of fires police say thomas leper jr. confessed to setting. the victims glad that he's behind bars. >> you know him crying on the tv saying, oh my kids. and felt you know, reacting to like the fire like he was a victim of it. but he's causing victims to feel this and i'm surprised he just didn't care. >>> we treed to get an interview with leper but are told he's still being processed in jail. >>> abc15 confirming the city council will vote on monday to ban ecigs inside city buildings and prohibit them outside city hall. >>> it's a problem we see too aufrb. cases of animal hoarding. it's estimated 2,000 new cases pop up every year across the to make it illegal to have 10 or more animals. a committee is going to consider the change next wednesday. >>> it's the video of the day in the valley and tonight, a woman is thankful after volunteers and first responders safely rescued a horse that slipped and fell into a canal and was unable to get out. >> this neighborhood, my neighbors are the best in the world. they're just wonderful caring people. >>

but now everyone is breathing a sigh of relief since 31-year- old thomas leper jr. allegedly confessed. >> some ways you feel a little bad for them. but those are things you need to you can't damage other people's property. >> reporter: leper told police he was coming home from the store when he was overcome with an urge to start a fire. he allegedly piled leaves together along a wooden fence in an alley and used the lighter to set the fire back in august. he also confessed to setting a series of other blazes one including a house. >> the rest of the community is at risk. everyone wondering if they're the ones. >> reporter: leper was arrested for setting fires when he was just 16 years old. >>> also in tempe police tell us they're close to putting together a sketch of the man who robbed and beat up a woman outside a crackers cafe near elliot and priest. they have also been outlooking for surveillance video from near by businesses. >>> two more arrests in our state tonight and this is the letter parents got after a school. pinol county sheriff's making the bust. polic

that's what thomas leper jr. blames it on. he left a note that said find me after one of the fires burned dangerously close to a home with a family the last fire was caddy corner to my home, sorry. >> reporter: during an interrogation, leper admitted he's struggled with his fire feelings for years. police say he watched firefighters work after the fires were set. investigators combed through the home searching for more clues and evidence he's facing more charges. beautiful afternoon here across the valley. we made it back up to 90 today. all afternoon long. they haven't produced any rain and they won't. take a look outside the sunset. just a little bit of daylight left. looking back to the west there at our queen creek cam. it's 87 in phoenix. 13percent humidity. mostly clear skies, low winds overnight tonight. it'll be late tomorrow night though before that happens so first we warm up. we're up to 96 tomorrow. keeping these clouds in the forecast mid-90s expected in tepl pee then we'll be w atching -- in tempe. then we'll be