The university is asking students to help identify a person of interest in the investigation of an arson that took place shortly after midnight today, when an unidentified man lit a vehicle on fire outside of the Chestnut residence building. 

A U of T alert sent to students at 6:00 pm this evening describes the person of interest as male, with a thin build and black hair, approximately five feet 10 inches to six feet tall, and between 25–40 years old. Three images provided in the alert show a man wearing tan pants and a tan hoodie, black shoes, and a backpack with a large Canadian flag attached. 

In an email to The Varsity, a spokesperson for the Toronto Police Service (TPS) wrote that they were contacted about the fire at 12:51 am and told that “there was smoke in the ‘parkade.’ ” TPS is currently investigating the incident.

In a call with The Varsity, the Toronto Fire Services (TFS) confirmed that the fire was reported to them at 12:50 am at 111 Chestnut, and that it was a small single-vehicle fire in a “public parking area.” TFS reported no injuries at the scene.

The person of interest is suspected to have visited buildings around UTSG on March 26 and 30. It is currently unclear which buildings the person of interest visited, and the university did not immediately respond to The Varsity’s request for comment. 

Students who have seen this person are asked to immediately contact Campus Safety at 416-978-2222 or Crime Stoppers at 416-222-8477.