BEXAR COUNTY, Texas – A Bexar County family is recovering after they said a man, they once considered a friend, tried to set their home on fire Wednesday morning and violently attack multiple people on the Northeast Side.
According to the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office, 43-year-old Jorge Ibarra is charged with multiple felonies after allegedly using a blowtorch to start a fire at his own residence before targeting a neighboring home on Manda Drive.
The attack began when Ibarra damaged the father’s truck before threatening to kill the family and burn down their home, the family, who asked not to be identified, said.
“He was a demon,” the father said. “When I was holding him down, he was laughing and saying, ‘I’m going to kill you and your family. I’m going to burn you.’”
The father said he had considered Ibarra more than just a neighbor.
“To come break my truck and try to burn my children and say all that to me? I don’t know what’s going through his head,” the father said.
Ibarra used a blowtorch to set fire to his own residence before crossing to the neighboring home, investigators said.
BCSO said Ibarra broke a front window and used the torch on it while a mother and her young children were sleeping inside the room.
The mother said her husband prevented Ibarra from entering the home as she and the children hid in a bathroom.
“My husband, with all his strength, wouldn’t let him in,” the mother said. “My kids were crying and crying. We went to hide in the restroom.”
The family said Ibarra then tried to burn through the front door. When that failed, he moved to the back of the home, threw a cinder block through a window and again attempted to get inside, leading to another struggle.
“I was defending myself,” the father said. “He was trying to kill me.”
The father suffered a serious cut to his arm during the confrontation, according to the family.
While the struggle continued, a relative arrived to help the family escape, but the mother said her sister was also attacked.
“He grabbed my sister by the hair, knocked her down and he was kicking her,” the mother said.
The father was eventually able to restrain Ibarra until Bexar County deputies arrived and took him into custody.
Jail records indicate Ibarra was charged with multiple felonies:
- Two counts of arson with intent to damage a habitation, first-degree felonies.
- Burglary of a habitation with intent to commit another felony, a first-degree felony.
- Aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, a second-degree felony.
Additionally, Ibarra received two counts of assault causing bodily injury, Class A misdemeanors, and criminal mischief causing between $750 and $2,500 in damage, a Class A misdemeanor.
The family said the attack has left lasting emotional scars, especially on their children.
“My son is sick. He hasn’t slept since that day. He asks me why,” the father said. “I tell him, ‘Son, don’t worry. Your dad won’t ever let anything happen to you.’”
The mother said the family had previously welcomed Ibarra into their lives, even inviting him to their children’s birthday parties and family meals.
“Now I feel this hate for him,” the mother said. “He tried to kill us.”
BCSO has not released a possible motive for the attack.
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