Indiana man allegedly cut off his genitals and used them to start garage fire

According to social media posts, the man faces an arson charge.

Published July 10, 2026

Image courtesy of City of Fort Wayne

In July 2026, Snopes readers searched the website asking us to investigate a very unusual crime supposedly committed in Fort Wayne, Indiana. According to social media posts , a man named Christopher Peden faces one count of arson for allegedly cutting off his penis and using it to set his mother's garage on fire.

Several news outlets in the region published articles documenting the alleged incident. To rate the claim, however, Snopes would need independent confirmation of that reporting.

Though Peden's case appeared in the Indiana court system , court documents that would provide a more complete picture of events were not available online. Snopes contacted the Allen County court clerk, the Fort Wayne Police Department and the Indiana State Police to obtain more information, but none of the agencies had responded by the time of publication. We will update this story with more information as we receive it.

Without being able to confirm the rumor firsthand, Snopes cannot yet rate this claim. However, there was no indication that any of the reporting was inaccurate.

According to the reports , on May 6, 2026, the Fort Wayne Fire Department responded to a garage fire around the same time local police were dispatched to a reported stabbing in which Peden was the victim. He said he had been stabbed downtown after being threatened the day prior.

But while Peden was at the hospital being treated for his injuries (the reports did not specify the nature of those injuries), he reportedly told an officer that the stabbing story wasn't true.

Instead, according to Peden, he had gone into the garage at 2 a.m., used a kitchen knife to cut off his penis, poured gasoline onto the organ and lit it on fire, the news outlets reported. He then left the garage and walked away until he found police.

Local news outlets reported investigators found a gasoline container, four lighters and a kitchen knife in the garage.

Brock, Corryn. "Fort Wayne Man Accused of Cutting off His Genitals, Using It to Commit Arson." Https://Www.21alivenews.Com, 7 July 2026, https://www.21alivenews.com/2026/07/07/fort-wayne-man-accused-cutting-off-his-genitals-using-it-alleged-arson-fire/.

Staff, T. M. Z. "Indiana Man Allegedly Cuts Off Penis And Lights It On Fire." TMZ, 9 July 2026, https://www.tmz.com/2026/07/09/man-in-indiana-cuts-off-penis-and-lights-it-on-fire/.

Stroobandt • •, Izzy. "Indiana Man Accused of Cutting off Genitals, Using It to Set Fire in His Mother's Garage." NBC Chicago, 9 July 2026, https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/indiana-man-accused-of-cutting-off-genitals-using-it-to-commit-arson/3959597/.

Jack Izzo is a Chicago-based journalist and two-time "Jeopardy!" alumnus.