Inset: Angel Nahle (Maricopa County Sheriff's Office). Background: Angel Nahle in court for allegedly setting his ex-girlfriend on fire in Phoenix (AZ Family/YouTube).
An Arizona man fuming over a breakup showed his ex-girlfriend a bottle of gasoline during a FaceTime call and then went to her house — while still on the phone with her — and set the woman on fire, cops say.
Angel Nahle, 24, of Phoenix, was arrested this week and charged in Maricopa County with multiple felonies, including aggravated assault and stalking, for the May 25 fire attack on his ex, according to court documents.
A probable cause affidavit obtained by Law&Crime describes how Nahle "intentionally burned" his former lover just one day after she ended their relationship. "He repeatedly FaceTime called and texted her throughout the night, becoming increasingly angry when she did not respond," the affidavit says.
"At approximately 4 a.m. on May 25, [the victim] answered one of the FaceTime calls, during which Nahle yelled, accused her of infidelity, and threatened to harm her and burn her vehicle," according to police. "During these calls, Nahle displayed a water bottle containing what he stated was gasoline and told he would use it."
While still on the FaceTime call, Nahle arrived "unannounced" at the woman's apartment. She initially remained inside her sister's apartment "out of fear" of what Nahle would do, but the woman eventually walked outside to attempt to de-escalate the situation.
"[The woman] stated that while she was speaking with Nahle … he remained agitated and repeatedly questioned her about their relationship ending," the affidavit explains. "As she momentarily looked away, Nahle approached her and splashed an unknown liquid believed to be gasoline onto the left side of her body. She then heard Nahle utter the word 'b—' and observed him holding a lighter at his waist. Seconds later, the liquid ignited, engulfing the left side of [the woman's] body and clothing in flames."
Nahle told police that while his ex was burning on the ground, "he realized that he loved her and helped pull her burning shirt off of her," according to the affidavit.
The woman was taken to a local hospital and treated for third-degree burns to her body, which led to multiple surgeries. Nahle allegedly "directed her to lie to medical staff" by claiming the burns resulted from a "vehicle carburetor fire," the affidavit says.
"[The woman] reported that after the incident, Nahle remained with her constantly in the hospital, which she believes was to prevent her from telling hospital staff that Nahle was responsible for her burns, and later continued the relationship for several weeks, which she attributed to fear for her safety," the affidavit says.
The victim told police she feared that if Nahle was released from jail "he would kill her," according to the affidavit.
"She stated Nahle has threatened to kill her several times and he is capable of killing her based on the fact that he lit her on fire," the affidavit says.
Nahle was arrested at his workplace in Tempe. He declined to answer any questions after being taken into custody.
Comments