Indianapolis Man Sentenced to 8 Years for Setting Fire to Bus and Station

An Indianapolis man has been sentenced to eight years in federal prison after pleading guilty to setting fire to an IndyGo bus and bus station, causing approximately $1.8 million in damage.

Demarcus McCloud, 46, was sentenced to eight years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Indiana announced this week.

According to court documents, on April 24, 2024, around 7 am, Indianapolis Fire Department and IMPD officers responded to a report of a fire at the IndyGo bus stop at 38^th and North Meridian Streets. When first responders arrived, the inside of the bus and front half of the exterior were completely engulfed in flames.

Bus cameras captured McCloud boarding a bus at the Julia Carson Transit Center with a jug of liquid and two butane lighters. The bus was actively operating and transporting passengers along the Red Line at the time.

After boarding, he sat in the back, lit a cigarette while hiding under a blanket, discarded it on the floor, then lit and extinguished a piece of paper before relocating to another seat, according to a criminal complaint.

As the bus neared Meridian and 38th Streets, he poured liquid down the center aisle, left the jug on its side, and began to exit the bus as the liquid continued to flow out. As he approached the bus door, he lit another piece of paper and threw it on the floor. The puddle ignited immediately, and McCloud ran from the bus.

IndyGo operates their public transportation buses under the Federal Transit Administration.

“This defendant’s reckless actions endangered innocent lives, destroyed public property, and wasted nearly $2 million in taxpayer-funded resources,” said Tom Wheeler, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana.

Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Indiana