What to Know
On May 6, 2026, dispatchers in Indiana received multiple calls about incidents at the same Fort Wayne address. The Fort Wayne Fire Department responded to a call about a garage fire, and Fort Wayne Police arrived at the address following a call about a stabbing.
When they arrived, they found the garage ablaze and 36-year-old Christopher Michael Peden injured. Peden allegedly told police he’d been stabbed downtown earlier that evening, but en route to a hospital, they found out the grisly truth. Peden allegedly told police not only did he start the fire, but he used his mutilated genitalia as a fire starter.
Peden’s mother and brother reportedly lived at the residence.
According to court documents obtained by multiple outlets, including WTHR, Peden’s brother told police that a neighbor knocked on the door to alert him to the fire in the detached garage.
The brother claimed the garage lacked electricity and that the only fuel was in a small gas can used for a lawn mower. Around the same time, emergency responders transported Peden to an area hospital for treatment of a stab wound. That’s when things took a strange turn.
Peden allegedly admitted to police he started the fire.
Court documents stated Peden initially told police he’d been stabbed earlier that night near downtown Fort Wayne. While talking with first responders, he allegedly said that he wanted to be truthful and shared what really happened.
Peden claimed he went into the garage at his mother’s home and cut off his penis with a kitchen knife. He then set his mutilated genitalia on fire after pouring gasoline on it. Firefighters at the scene reportedly found the gas can, four lighters, and a kitchen knife.
Peden’s story seemed too wild to be true.
The story quickly went viral, and people had plenty of questions as to what exactly happened that night.
“I’m struggling with how it caught the garage on fire. Well I am struggling with how he cut it off too, but it was flaming enough to start a fire,” someone admitted on NBC Chicago’s Facebook page.
This person had a similar concern and wondered how Peden could cut his own penis off.
“What Tha?! How in thee entire World you have the strength to cut it off and then set it on fire. Adrenaline had to be through the Roof. No Pain, No Gain,” they wrote.
Others wondered if Peden had a deeper secret that caused him to make such a serious decision.
“Don’t you wonder if his sick F’s mentality is doing this because he is thinking about an assault he has perpetrated on an innocent? They need to look deeper,” one person wrote.
Authorities did not mention whether they were able to save Peden’s penis and attempt a reattachment surgery like the famed John Wayne Bobbit case from June 1993.
According to People, Peden posted a $10,000 surety bond on July 7 and was released from jail. He faces a Level 4 arson charge. He was previously convicted in 2018 of operating a vehicle while intoxicated, a Level 6 felony.
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