The Deranged Arsonist Who Filmed Their Own Crime • Mystery Files

[@watcher]

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[@Tom-jx7cr]

Ok

[@kowigatzzz7062]

​@@Tom-jx7crlol

[@gracemcd.1950]

I Never clicked so fast, y'all are awesome and I love your content. Keep up the great work

[@Gullbone]

Is watcher watching me?!?

[@Mahfknamsayn]

Can you guys finish the dungeons and dragons story line, it feels like if j.k Rowling stopped writing books after the half blood prince

[@kino9643]

gotta love the thumbnail referencing that one meme of the little girl Infront of a house on fire

[@ellahalloran6135]

I didn’t notice until I saw this comment omg

[@3namega]

I was hoping someone commented about it!! Gave me a good exhale thru my nose

[@lukaszzylik4437]

Oh I thought that was the iconic disaster girl.

[@emiryan2238]

Brilliant

[@poppyonline4034]

Me too!! I laughed so hard at that.

[@rolanslide8509]

In retrospect, makes so much sense to me that a teenage boy did this. The way he talks in the video screams "I'm a twisted fucking cycle path". I feel like I could have known this guy in high school

[@castiandisciple8363]

As soon as I heard that voice, I was like, "What is this edgelord teenager garbage?"😆 Not surprised at all.

[@Wolffur]

Every high school had that one kid who was a blend of Hot Topic and stupid.

[@stillpinkbeef]

Exactly my thoughts while watching the clip. As a senior in high school who works alongside our school social worker and provides mental health sessions for students, I've seen enough edge lords who take their title to the grave and share this type of behavior. Definitely seems like a high school kid who was suffering from pyromania, a mental illness, or a developmental disorder, maybe a combination of those, and was expressing it in all the wrong ways thinking it would lead to greatness. I wish that guy had gotten the attention, support, and care he needed growing up. It's upsetting to see many kids like these neglected in their early childhood or teenage years that lead up to a dangerous act for attention or a concerning persona that ends up harming others.

[@MononokeLynn]

…cycle path? 😅

[@artnerd3727]

I immediately thought oh yeah this is a high school boy

[@nithyanair1906]

Nothing could’ve prepared me for how unserious that tape was

[@vanillaextract4135]

For REAL

[@mangoschaos6950]

all these cops were like “it’s so eerie” but come ON

[@SuperMathsBeaver]

@@mangoschaos6950 I think it was the cringe that was keeping them up at night 😆

[@Stephanie_Sparks]

anyone else think about Poe's law too lol

[@Chadius_Thundercock]

@@SuperMathsBeaverno joke the night after I watched this video I woke up at midnight to take a piss, went back to bed and couldn’t sleep for an hour because I remembered that tape

[@victoriaspongecake2]

imagining the police guy filming thinking he's going insane just hearing the faintest muffled voice of the arsonist's excitement in the distance

[@baintreachas]

Sounds like the start of a film where this guy becomes convinced he has a secret personality and IS the arsonist without realising it

[@grassofthelemon]

I just love the thought of John crouching down behind a bush while saying what he was saying

[@katherine1124]

"i gotta go now" like their mom is coming to pick them up from arson practice

[@raghadthewinner]

lmfaaaaaooooo arson pracitce😭😭😭😭

[@valor5080]

Fun Fact: You are only considered a pyromaniac after your 2nd fire, which means that everyone gets 1 freebie

[@Stark-Raving]

Oh boy, I better not do it again then. I don't like labels

[@megan-mr9vk]

@@Stark-Ravinglabels are just labels. live your truth friend

[@sanjanaaartiragbir]

Which is reserved for the Apple Store ofc

[@bogwife7942]

you're only considered a _pyromaniac_ after two instances of intentional fire setting. you can't even steal the tumblr post correctly

[@valor5080]

@@bogwife7942 thanks for the correction! :)

[@georgiacollings3489]

Shane: “I’m not an arsonist” Also Shane: “I’ve watched a lot of videos of fires starting”

[@Ursa_Major713]

you can be a pyromaniac and not set any fires lol

[@TatiQ0]

Exactly. Very suspicious.

[@beaniebee11]

Just constantly giving credence to the demon accusations.

[@OutlawedOutlander]

@@beaniebee11 he can’t hide it forever!

[@trajhver3]

umm yeah all you need is that moment with Shane chewing his tongue and laughing

[@eatmorespiders]

Ryan is absolutely killing it on that inflatable sax

[@Ddalgiichigo]

He looks like slash 😂

[@yzer9975]

MYSTERY for your SOUL

[@wesleyZshelby]

Yes yes yes yes. This is exactly what I wanted this one is a BANGER! STEP IP YOUR GAME SHANEY BOI 😂

[@HeathRaccoon]

@@Ddalgiichigoalso early 1980s Kirk Hammett!

[@gabrielw.7324]

i know its crazy the AD is the best part of the whole thing

[@chelseawhite7117]

🤣 I loved Shane’s reactions to the evidence against “John” being converted into stickers that say “uh ohh!” “ewww” “euuughh” “chirp?” And “yaak”

[@thebluereason]

Ok but can we talk about how committed this guy was to film the arsons in 89? Like video recorders back then were the size of movie production cameras today. This guy stood there with essentially a microwave on his shoulder for who knows how long because of angst

[@AriVirtual]

see i was wondering that! lmaooo thats so wild

[@willrichit]

maybe thats why he sounds out of breath, for carrying that thing around while speaking lol

[@V4N9U15H.]

I gotta go Omar for this camera killing my shoulders!

[@finpin2622]

Tbh as soon as I heard "this is my domain..." I immediately knew it was gonna be an edgy teenager at the center of this case.

[@millennium7909]

Edgy teenager that probably wanted some attention through commiting a crime, hm, sounds about right and accurate

[@solsirhibragusowl2221]

Seems like something about burning down a village to feel its warmth... Don't remember the saying.

[@generalsleepy3859]

I love Ryan saying "millions of dollars of losses" and then immediately cut to Shane being just delighted.

[@Frindle_Babbin]

Shane said eat the rich and he is so real for that

[@snoozehd60]

@@Frindle_Babbinalmost like Shane is rich himself

[@Frindle_Babbin]

@@snoozehd60zamn i didn’t know watcher was a mega corporation

[@RedLion502]

🤣 I loved that! He was like 😃

[@ZeranZeran]

@@snoozehd60 Eat Shane. Got it.

[@timpaxew712]

When I was a kid my grandpa was an arson investigator and he would point out whenever we did something dangerous like “June. 1986. Oakbrook. Two dead.” Meanwhile I was just trying to light a candle

[@1000starsinmyribs]

that’s so brutal 😭😭

[@starkis14159]

Did it work at instilling a deep sense of fire safety?

[@someonewhocommentsonyoutub3779]

But I bet now you're cautious around fires, so it worked

[@p24p14]

I love your grandpa

[@calleum8234]

your grandpa is hilarious

[@caithenry8429]

Shane looked like a disgruntled high school teacher forced to watch over a science fair during the outside bit and its amazing

[@thesmilingbumblebee3939]

Glad to see the return of Shane “eat the rich” Madej

[@woopoganntnt7379]

so weird how yall are mad at mfs that just worked harder than you did

[@Lenn869]

most of them are jewish you cant say that

[@Bexorcistt]

@@woopoganntnt7379how’s that boot taste

[@woopoganntnt7379]

@@Bexorcistt smh insane how it’s bootlicking when i’m just defending the human rights of someone who’s got money but it’s not bootlicking when y’all beg for reparations for black people who didn’t suffer from slavery

[@mayevie]

@@woopoganntnt7379 do you really honestly think that black people living in former colonies are not still feeling the effects of slavery today?

[@fromisabella]

If this happened in 2024 those Geoguessr mofos would've had this case open and shut in .7 seconds

[@drphilisalwayswatching5993]

That’s exactly what I was thinking of 😂

[@androsp9105]

'That looks like Redwood City fire'

[@gengarisnotfat]

nice. i'll take it.

[@Zman44444]

You can tell by the color of the flame that this is clearly a California forest. Also by the dirt consistency on that rock, it’s clearly Red Wood City.

[@WaitingtoHit]

Thank you for specifying that this was a _deranged_ arsonist since some arsonists are perfectly stable individuals.

[@fuzzydunlop7928]

Professionals, even.

[@cammel]

Like Shane for example

[@lilith3059]

I mean, I know some guys who work in pyro that are very stable people but are more enthusiastic about their jobs than anyone has the right to.

[@tielwarrior]

Yeah, arsonists like this give us a bad name smh

[@adaorawrld]

shane: "seems like a nice part of the state 😃" ryan :" its where the zodiac killed a bunch of people🙂 ... anyway "

[@PintosMichelle]

Stockton is such a crime ridden city 😅

[@RegularFlyGuy]

@@Unfortunately_Mickeynot true, these serial killers find people there all the time …. Ill see myself out

[@jennifervasquez]

​@@Unfortunately_Mickey Yeah there was literally an active serial killer in stockton like 2yrs ago

[@honeyswann]

There was literally a serial killer in Stockton not too long ago as well. So it’s a meh area.

[@skyrothman8651]

Yeah it is very much NOT a nice part of the state. Never go to Stockton on purpose

[@allyrharris]

The effort Watcher puts into their sponsored segments is actually unmatched

[@stephanyescamilla3663]

Definitely makes it worth the watch lol

[@naterod]

The why files too

[@matthewpattonv5326]

Well, this certainly aged.

[@poke8735]

I’m glad they changed their minds about the paywall. Mistakes were made and I’m glad I can still support them in this way

[@Emmers11]

Didn’t know of this channel until after the drama started, but now I’m watching all their videos

[@emilybarclay8831]

Yeah while I think their original video was the completely wrong approach, I’m still gonna support them because of how quickly they fixed the issues and listened to feedback and apologised

[@matthewdekker6064]

My friends and I would often go "stumping," where you find a random tree stump (or a big hunk of wood), write "you've been stumped" on it, leave it outside someone's door, and ring the doorbell. We had different variations - on a plank of wood, we'd write "you've been planked," etc. Now that I think about it, for the stump, we should've written "are you stumped?" That would've been more appropriate.

[@larsonfamilyhouse]

Were you guys mormon?

[@tsarinaballerina4]

So…are you stumped?

[@whatabouttheearth]

😂

[@jalapeno1119]

10/10 childhood shenanigans

[@jenellenelson4447]

Wait what 😂 Everyone complaining about Nicky Nicky nine doors and y'all are leaving trees on people's porches 🤣🤣🤣👌 well done

[@eclipsingshadows5421]

Ryan: “I feel a bit embarrassed dressed as Indiana Jones.” Also Ryan:

[@estherdimaggio9156]

Ryan's in his hot era and he's caught onto that

[@apeiceofgarbage9848]

​@@estherdimaggio9156 Agreed

[@alyssabrown3284]

The theater kid in Ryan was really shining this episode

[@madeliner1682]

You can take the kid out the theater, but you can't take the theater out the kid

[@FrstedPeachesMSP]

Yes😂

[@jimmywinter7961]

​@@FrstedPeachesMSPSame, I was a crew kid, I helped make sets and helped people with their lines and stuff, I miss it.

[@jameji_phd]

Dude was clearly unhinged but you gotta admit the line "And you tell me I cannot set fires" feels like something out of a postmodern literary classic

[@taylorg2320]

I absolutely cannot believe that people gave this edgelord the satisfaction of calling his cringe ass tape "disturbing"

[@raghadthewinner]

that was a straight bar

[@LeanneA-d9k]

Ryan saw the opportunity to reference the disaster girl in the thumbnail and freaking sprinted with it

[@CattyKittenQueen]

This has THE BEST ad I’ve ever seen. Love the sax moment with Ryan

[@theflowerhead]

I completely agree, I hope this'll become a reoccurring bit like how Internet Comment Etiquette did with NordVPN in the past.

[@booknerd825]

​@@theflowerhead Critical Role had like a whole miniseries that resulted in them playing a one-shot in the that universe! Gotta love when creators make that stuff so fun!

[@MSinger4472]

I was hypnotized and couldn't look away.

[@artnerd3727]

fr whoever came up with the idea deserves a raise. The first ad i havent skipped in a LONG time

[@shae6557]

Nearly started skipping forward from the sponsor bit until I saw Ryan absolutely shredding the sax. 10/10 best sponsored ad I've seen in my life LMAO

[@AvenleaHarris]

Im crying at the nord vpn infomercial with Ryan's "Careless Whisper" performance 😂

[@jessicalake944]

I actually exclaimed 'jesus christ' out loud 😂 but not in a bad way

[@VanillaflavoredSora]

​@jessicalake944 I had the same reaction!! I choked on my food and said "what the fuckkkk" while laughing way too hard.

[@AvenleaHarris]

Hahaha 😂❤ exactly

[@spectre9340]

The Kenny G cosplay killed me 😂

[@kaitlynmorgan4613]

i dont think thats careless whispers ?

[@agiel7791]

I have just spent DAYS tracking down where I originally saw this case profiled, and I finally found it! It's in the first season of the original run of Cold Case Files on A&E. The episode first aired in 1999. It goes over most of what was here, but there's a little more shown from the tapes, including showing some of the arsonist acting out attacks on a dummy he was pretending was his father, and a reason for some of the spray painted messages. Thank god I finally freaking found it, it was driving me nuts! If you want to watch it, it's titled Fire Flicks.

[@AriVirtual]

thank you i freakinglove our community just sharin stuff

[@elizabethterry2028]

It's been shown on Unsolved Mysteries also. With updates

[@swimminginhoney]

I loved absolutely everything about this mystery file!! The beautiful sax Ryan ad, the ‘do you feel the thrill’ house fire demonstration, Shane’s grey morality regarding arson, the shenanigans, the aesthetic - just simply all delicious

[@Viktor_walnut]

11:35 I love the ongoing trend of Shane just being a litttleeee bit of an anarchist

[@aarondavis8943]

He's one of those anarchists who hasn't noticed that he's part of the wealthy elite.

[@xXAcidBathXx]

@@aarondavis8943???

[@star.surfer9446]

@@aarondavis8943 “wealthy elite” i wasn’t aware shane was a billionaire

[@registeredjopper]

​@star.surfer9446 you don't have to be a billionaire to be a wealthy elite lol. you really just have to be wealthy and influential, which he undoubtedly is

[@staytuned2L337]

​@@aarondavis8943fairly difficult to live the anarchist life to its full philosophical potential living in a savagely capitalist country 😅

[@haleyb1276]

Honestly, I'm with Shane on this one. Arson is wrong, but also its pretty baller that he went after new build mansions

[@yvaincallipso84]

With NO ONE living in them!!! It's basically a victimless crime!

[@voiddiovcomics]

@@yvaincallipso84and didn’t they stop right after the fire that had people in it? That sounds like someone who didn’t mean to hurt anyone and got scared to do it again.

[@voiddiovcomics]

@@yvaincallipso84I TAKE IT BACK he was definitely a budding sociopath lol I did not reach the end of the video at that point

[@BananaJonesMom]

@@voiddiovcomicscharacter growth lmao

[@coinwater8511]

Absolutely. I'm so tired of all the development in my town that used to be small and surrounded by nature.

[@sdrawkcabemdaer5]

Jazz sax Ryan deserves his own fandom 😂

[@condemnedcat1513]

PLEASE 🙏

[@kays_nook]

That curly fro looked great on him. Tassel vest make everybody look ripped 👌👌

[@kitlee172]

Saxy 😂

[@Silly_Illidan]

Breath of the wild ryan

[@Limowrreck]

Very much here for Shane’s "barbecue the rich" arc

[@JaneDoe-tc8to]

I think with the knowledge that the arsonist is connected to someone named "Omar", who went on a week-ish vacation around the time of the fire that the arsonist filmed, and who likely lived in the area where the fires were being set, someone like Penelope Garcia could figure it out in like 5 minutes

[@flowerfloc]

i absolutely love that they're now also covering other kinds of topics besides mostly murders they did in their buzzfeed era

[@ehkbv]

same!!!!!

[@creepibeesti4065]

I am sitting through the whole ad for the first time. I am enchanted. This is enchanting. I love the way Ryan says “Data Breach” and “exposed” and “This one’s for you Vinnie” I’m obsessed. Beautiful piece.

[@briana5002]

I was going to comment the same thing lol - probably the first time I've not skipped a single second of an ad/sponsorship section

[@JannelleDavid-e5e]

Shane subtly suggesting we burn apple stores is how I know the ghoul boys are the good guys.

[@SetFireGirl]

"Subtly" 💀

[@BahiaDoSul]

not only but they could've edited it out ykno... apple is never knocking on their doors with deals. ya need real guts when you work independently like they do with a whole team on their back.

[@johncallof8839]

Yeah reckless anti-establishmentism is so cool, especially when it's used as a justification for gratuitous violence.

[@JannelleDavid-e5e]

@@johncallof8839You’re not on the moral high ground you think you are. 🙄🙄🙄

[@johncallof8839]

@@JannelleDavid-e5e What moral high ground would that be ? That suggestive calls to violence and/or indifference to it are immoral ?

[@skaphile]

This is so funny. After seeing a story on this years ago, now whenever my brother or I refer to something sinister. its always with, "Look, Omar! Its beautiful! Look, look!!

[@paganpines]

I was born and raised in Redwood City. By the 50's it was no longer anything resembling a farming town. It had become a "bedroom community", a suburb smack between San Francisco and San Jose. It was filled with lots of modest mid-century family homes and apartment buildings. Around the time I was born, it was a popular retirement community (my earliest memories are of old ladies) and it had--still has--a large Mexican community. The areas that were newly developed with "McMansions" were technically in the hills, and unincorporated. The town just west of RWC is Woodside, which is more of a rural ranch community nestled in the redwoods. Neil Young, Joan Baez, Shirley Temple Black, and Joe Montana all had homes there when I was growing up. Sometime in the 2000s Redwood City experienced a huge wave of development to accommodate the tech boom, but that was long after I had left.

[@wheelofhands]

No way in hell would I be watching a random VHS I found with my kid. It wasn't nearly as bad as it could've been!

[@Dilemma998]

RIGHT omg

[@endymionredacted1304]

70% chance it would be home made porn :/

[@ChamomileT]

Depends on their age, I mean I don’t remember them mentioning their age but for some reason I assumed the ‘kid’ was an adult

[@larsonfamilyhouse]

Yeah 17 they said @@ChamomileT

[@inacatt]

​@@ChamomileT Well they mentioned the son was helping his dad try to fix their car, so he was probably at least teenage, if not yound adult.

[@LynetteTheRogue]

I like how in puppet history, its usually Ryan that says things that makes me concerned, but the in mystery files, Shane is like "he seems funny" about a delusional arsonists and Ryan is like "What is wrong with you?"

[@chloelasalle5804]

Ryan: I’ve been known to set a few grass fires myself hehehehe. *SMOKING WEED* I cackled lol

[@annabellelee4535]

Smoking is bad for your health, gummies are the best, especially Froot and drinks are good too! My mom loves brownies and my husband loves cookies. Do you ever try edibles? Takes a bit longer to set in than smoking but it's still nice and intense.

[@ChamomileT]

@@annabellelee4535Edibles don’t work for me. They did the first few times but now, even after a long t break I can take 4 and won’t feel a thing

[@roybiv8298]

watcher is the only place that knows how to get me to watch the ads w/o skipping, love 'em every time. haven't even started the ep in proper just needed 2 appreciate Sax Ryan

[@soiledmyslf]

I love the chemistry between you two! These shows are great!

[@maivang1956]

love that ryan seems to be fully committed to expanding his acting profile this season when it comes to telling us about sponsors

[@draconity]

You’ve really unlocked the secret to getting us to watch the ads.

[@MSinger4472]

raw sex appeal

[@BlackRainbow84]

Or...sax appeal

[@MSinger4472]

@@BlackRainbow84 omg lol perfect

[@RedLion502]

@@BlackRainbow84🎷

[@humanincarnate316]

The guy who said he "thought about the tape when he went to bed at night" was definitely one of the people who fainted in the theater watching The Exorcist

[@xithecreator]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@booklover5238]

Right? I was side eyeing Ryan when he called the video disturbing. If I thought of that video before bed, it would be '*snort* What an loser.'

[@bamahammer949]

Missed you guy's so much, i didn't know you had a new channel! Much love from Georgia 🇬🇪 ❤!!

[@madison2750]

this has the best in-video sponsor ad I’ve seen on KZbin lol. It’s watchable and I love it

[@hammity7356]

As soon as he mentioned the animal abuse I immediately thought of the MacDonald triad of serial killer traits. We're lucky that tape was found and he was able to get caught before he escalated to anything worse. Instead we have a fun creepy tale about some burned down McMansions and a spooky home video

[@Olivia-cw6lu]

But his record was sealed, so how do we know? Dude could be one of the active serial killers we don’t know about…

[@sab-ky6hv]

to be fair, the macdonald triad is an outdated theory with very little empirical backing that has been heavily criticized by a lot of psychiatrists

[@hammity7356]

@Olivia-cw6lu Oh my god. That's a terrifying though.

[@bialessa6317]

I think if the doctors think him capable of harming someone, then he won't be released. And it's pretty possible that he needs to attend therapy and psychiatric consults to be released at which point the professionals might know. I also can't remember if it mentioned him being released? Mental hospitals are a little bit different than prison

[@MrAveregeguy68]

​@@Olivia-cw6lu nah he wasn't , he still stayed in the area long after and lived a fairly quiet life until he died at the age of 45 , his name was John hannon search it up along with redwood city and hit and run , it'll come up he's been dead for 7 years

[@Jenult]

"I mean... I dont give a shit if someone worships Satan" lol i'm so happy this series is back

[@trewic8678]

really messed up

[@joyholz6064]

​@@trewic8678 not really lol Shane knows what's up

[@Kinkywizardz2005]

"Thank you, Shane" - Me, a local satanist.

[@Avlogamine]

@@Kinkywizardz2005Haha, me also

[@selfishstockton6123]

@@Kinkywizardz2005wannabe edgelord

[@heathermillsphantomlimb9314]

If anyone was curious, the emblem sewn onto the jacket is a US Army Intelligence and Security Command (INSCOM) patch (35F MOS). I’ve got a buddy who worked for them, so Ryan is quite incorrect when he said it was from “no known military unit.”

[@fuzzydunlop7928]

Tbh this whole case seems fishy to me. Not "conspiracy theory" fishy, necessarily - but moreso the guy's house just so happening to catch fire, allowing the investigators unhindered access is incredibly sus.

[@Cycoldia]

I was screaming that lmao

[@pillbugm8914]

@@fuzzydunlop7928That part was definitely sus. I have to wonder if perhaps the suspect had the idea that the police were after him so he tried to burn down the garage to conceal evidence, or if there was some other...higher level foulplay from the authorities.

[@ernestschmidt8761]

Came here to post this. It’s literally one of the first things that ones up when you google “Army patch with key” 🤣

[@jaymag87]

@@ernestschmidt8761Exactly. I googled “military patch with key torch lightning bolt”. The first thing that popped up was Intelligence / Security Command Class A Patch. LOL

[@unhhgcrxexhjvuvujchcrzwzwz7956]

Best ep yet! Feels like your finally getting back into your groove

[@helenoscar9748]

Ryan’s oh no face after Shane says light an Apple Store on fire 😂

[@grbhighlights9401]

My boy literally was the Joker. “It’s not abt money, it’s abt sending a message”. And then boom, house on fire.

[@_cheesecheesecheese]

"you seen about this? you heard about this?" the bit never gets old, boys

[@BloomCherryBlossom]

Shane gets more and more radical each episode and im totally here for that.

[@santiv4]

shanes been radical, ryan just shows himself being more conservative lol

[@giraffemiilk]

i’m with shane every time

[@samuraisharkie]

@@santiv4REAL. I’m waiting for Ryan to start saying you should always talk to the cops and tell them everything all the time and wear a thin blue line shirt 💀

[@AKindOfDog]

​@@samuraisharkie that's an incredibly out of line comment to make about a POC man, doing a bit for a comedy video. Reflect on why you thought that was an appropriate conclusion to come to, and why you thought that was okay to say

[@KarterDeedman]

this is literally the best ad you've done, I actually watched the whole thing a few times cause it was so funny

[@julesnova92]

i wanna give props to the person doing the editing for the thumbnail 😭 this whole video is delightful

[@camryn.g]

THE thumbnail of all time thank you boys 🔥🔥🔥

[@Tsumetaiyoru]

Shane supporting arson is such a vibe

[@viridianfire6886]

the editing is SO good i'm crying 😭 Eughh.. chirp? yaak! 25:09

[@gronqvist1111]

This has been my favorite episode so far! Had that creepy vibe I’ve been missing.

[@catherinekress2138]

That dove in the Ryan ad was the perfect touch. I laughed way too hard at Ryan’s dog pic and the way he says, I think this one’s fine. 😂😂😂

[@ijustwanttolikecomments4677]

the dove sent me over the edge!

[@kaosnyxx]

this is literally the only time i sat through a whole ad. please keep your saxona

[@jacobiclarke9043]

Edible kicking in just as Ryan's sax ad started was amazing timing.

[@intheyellowcorner]

The watcher sponsor adverts just keep getting better. 😂😂

[@sipin40zsince3rdgrd]

The ad break hits hard! On some middle school winter vacation in the middle of the night hard 😂😂😂😂😂

[@dylansmith1738]

Damn, I didn’t know Shane and Ryan had their own show. I always assumed they split up after buzz feed unsolved. I’m glad I found them again, they’re funny.

[@lucienmoolman8017]

Whoever is responsible for the tape and fire and the monolog sounds like a villain plotting revenge. What a supervillain!

[@stephaniepotts8256]

This guy's a fucking loser don't call him a supervillain you're stroking his ego.

[@geordieghoulette7142]

They sound like an edgelord lol

[@LeGabrielMan]

@@geordieghoulette7142 “this is my domain, my hell” 🤓

[@gunmandoo]

It sounded like a dumb edgy teenager who wanted to be a supervillain, which is pretty much what it was.

[@oneslikeme]

Wow. I read this comment as making fun of the guy and I agreed. But all the responses took it so seriously lol Like, the idea of a monologuing "supervillain" is 100% laughable

[@armyforlife3191]

Ryan on the thumbnail is giving the meme of the little girl smiling while the house burns in a fire 💀

[@skywalkerchick]

Pretty sure that was intentional

[@michaelwalsh3474]

I bet that's the dude's daughter.😂

[@electroslimeEN]

this has always been one of my favourite mysteries bc everything involved is so strange

[@Bnuuy-2]

Same. Heard so little about it but it's very interesting. Mostly because the dude sounds like a huge edgelord and kinda makes it a bit funny

[@MrAveregeguy68]

Search up John hannon redwood city and you'll learn like way more , like his issues with his father , yearbook photos , and shit if you look it up it even says he's been dead for 7 years and that his mom's been dead since 84 could explain the beef he had with his dad and his declining mental health

[@m.m.2727]

Shane: I can excuse arson but I draw the line at animal abuse/mutilation. Ryan: You can excuse arson? -Them at one point in life (in my mind)

[@Shooketh__]

Ngl, the second they played the tape, the first thing that came to my mind was "this sounds like Shane doing a skit"

[@alexisgonzales4689]

Ryan: let me tell u about this really gruesome crime Shane: you wanna hear about this funny guy who wore leather The duality of this show it truly amazing 😂

[@stalemix8422]

The thumbnail sums up this show pretty well

[@immabethehero1486]

it sums up the channel as a whole lmao

[@jessie-yz5vz]

I just want to take a moment to thank whoever's idea it was to put the sensitive topics in the description, and not just unaliving or murder but even more specific triggers like animal cruelty or satanic cults. Thats like exactly some of my triggers but ryan and shane are so funny and ive been watching them forever. I would really miss it if i had to completely stop watching just because of my stupid mental illness. (If i might suggest adding this to the ghost investigations too 👀) but whoever thought to do this. THANK YOU I GEEV YOU BEEG SMOOCH

[@wade3671]

you're allowed to say death here, no need to put "unaliving"

[@zoerice4227]

"unaliving" tiktok user spotted

[@ChamomileT]

@@zoerice4227so?

[@Chanel98baby]

Not trying to be rude but what about satanic cults is a trigger to you? That’s like if I said black Jesus traumatizes me

[@jklroxmysox111]

some people have suffered abuse related to satanic rituals or unrelated cults with similar vibes. Some people might also have Christian-based religious trauma from their upbringing that could be triggered tangentally@@Chanel98baby

[@hanamacquoid1427]

Love that yall are making the ads so fun and watchable ❤️

[@kelseyrichmond4285]

Y’alls ads for the sponsors are top tier. It actually makes me want to look into the companies.

[@MacAndTheCheese]

i never want yall to stop, i dont care if youre both in your eighties, WE NEED MORE MYSTERY FILES

[@elsarankin7404]

You did it. You cracked the code. You got me to watch the ad w/o skipping

[@ryanmowery-qn5gr]

this is such a comfort series, thank you guys!! ❤

[@nodamngoodent.musicpromoti1562]

Dude I just binge watched the unsolved buzzfeed series on Hulu and was absolutely hooked, now I randomly stumble across this channel

[@ijustwanttolikecomments4677]

I did the same a year or so ago after binging the unsolved shows on hulu. I'm so glad i checked them out on hulu then found them here still going strong

[@jimena6194]

I truly thought when unsolved was ending that we would never get an equal series on KZbin, I am so happy to have followed watcher from the start. If you get a chance to see their ghost files live next tour you should go it was so funny

[@sophialipp4324]

As someone who was born and raised in Redwood City, this was insane to hear it talked about in any capacity, let alone arson LOL

[@iheartbusterk82]

That NordVPN was amazing. I applaud whoever is coming up with them.

[@lithium444]

On this episode: the boys commit arson 5:37 THEY DID

[@IsThisThePrizeIveWaitedFor]

Why did this feel like Ryan’s excuse to set fire to little houses and growl, “How did it feel?? HoW dID IT fEeL?? HOw Did iT FeeL?” 😅 Also, sax Ryan with the crazy hair is deserving of a Shane extra long chef’s kiss 😘

[@jasminesaldana7796]

i love the reference to that one meme in the thumbnail

[@hotboii99]

unironically unequivocally that was the best nord vpn ad i have ever seen in my life

[@ehipassiko]

That's a U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command shoulder sleeve insignia patch.

[@scottwallman4335]

I was scrolling to see if anyone else mentioned the INSCOM patch.

[@christina3maria]

i'm not smart enough to know if it's more likely they're involved, or if the patch/jacket is misdirection trying to draw suspicion away from true culprit?

[@JustWandering]

I wonder if the fact that it was roughly sewn means that it was a homemade costume.

[@landenscott4432]

Could be relevant, or maybe a jacket bought from a surplus store. Good catch though

[@carolb8974]

Yeah I was thinking “matches no known patch”? INSCOM has been around since ‘77 but I don’t think it’s ever been very famous lol

[@lisamarieligreci-newton7804]

THIS WAS MY FAVORITE UNSOLVED MYSTERIES EPISODE EVER!!!!! I STILL remember being so creeped out at that guy's deranged whisper (I was a little kid and used to watch this show late at night and I also had a friend named Omar, as it turned out, haha). This one, and also the tale of Michaela Gaerecht (snatched as she went to grab her bike) stuck with me for a LONG time. Many, many years later I was thinking about it and started googling it which ended up leading to me finding the KZbin channel that has most of the UM episodes and I spent the past several years going through them and going down other true crime/mystery rabbit holes. Now I get stuff like this in my feed. What does it say about me that I immediately recognized the thumbnail, haha.

[@smm855]

BTW, did you hear they found Michaela's murderer a couple of years ago?

[@sunsun5005]

it says you belong in this fanbase

[@Dilemma998]

Yesssss I immediately recognized it in the thumbnail & it was my favorite UM too!!!

[@lisamarieligreci-newton7804]

@@smm855 I did!!!! It was insane how they found it. I feel so bad for her mom, but I hope she has some peace now. They found Jacob Wetterling's murderer several years ago too (not an UM case, but my husband is from that area so I am fairly familiar with the case).

[@beauzer36]

This popped into my head because I saw the show back in the day too. I went to see if I could find it on KZbin and I typed "look at it burn Omar" and it came right up.

[@__eggy__]

i cannot believe i watched the entire nord vpn ad because of ryan's beautiful sax playing. i was dying😭😭

[@hommefataltaemin]

Wow I got it right!! I knew it was going to be a teenage boy! My thoughts were the following: The first two theories didn’t make any sense with the info we had. The person who filmed the video seemed disturbed, yes, but also immature. They had a friend who KNEW of their activities and likely did the same - Omar had insulted him saying basically he wasn’t good at starting fires, so the person filmed the video in retribution. Thus, Omar was someone who knew of his activities already and likely did the same based on the taunt, it’s like a “my fires are way better than yours”. Thinking of it that way, it screams ego and immaturity. Plus factoring in who would be on a scheduled week long vacation? It would make far more sense in the context it was used to be not just a single persons vacation time from work, but something that both people had: bc the person recording is comparing what they both spent these breaks doing(IE, lighting fires). It is likely the graffiti at the scene was written by other people, bc there didn’t seem to be any messaging in the video of being truly upset about all the new houses, so it’s not some vigilante neighbor or scorned worker type thing. Also, the jacket style, the music choices, and the items found with it all separately don’t mean much. But altogether along with the tape gives a picture of who the recorder was: an immature, angsty teen taking out their mental health issues and boredom on everyone else. Anyway y’all can ignore my long comment, I was just happy to have solved it so soon! 😄

[@carlaceauribe]

I’ve never been more glad to not have skipped an ad segment

[@Ace-fs5jv]

the grass fire joke was too good, I knew there was a reason I liked Ryan

[@lik3th3hamm3r]

As someone currently living through Developer hell in NC, I am 100% with Shane on this one!

[@samuraisharkie]

Right?? Ryan doesn’t seem to know how much that shit sucks. At least that’s the most charitable interpretation

[@crow-t-robot]

I can't describe the immense joy that takes over my body whenever Watcher uploads.

[@nicepenguin4801]

I love how the boys actually try to make the ads entertaining for us