Fontana police searching for suspect involved in home invasion, assault, arson and burglary

FONTANA, CA (FOX 11) - A manhunt is underway in Fontana. Police say the suspect is armed and dangerous.

A little before midnight on November 14, 2017, suspect 37-year-old Matthew Rice broke into his estranged wife's house on the 8000 block of Jamestown Cir and confronted her and a male friend who was known to the suspect.

Rice was armed with a shotgun. The suspect assaulted both victims and was ultimately disarmed, at which time, he escaped on foot.

This afternoon at around 1600 hrs, the estranged wife, who was not at home, was notified by a neighbor that her house was flooding. Officers responded and it appears the suspect had gained entry into the home and attempted to set the house on fire. We learned at that time that he most likely stole a vehicle from the home.

During this investigation, we became aware that there was an attempt to set fire to the home of the male victim from the previous night's assault on the 7900 block of Amanda (Fontana) (fire damage to the front door). Along with that we received information from the San Bernardino Sheriff's Department that there was an arson at the home of an estranged in-law of the suspect on the 8900 block of Orange in Rancho Cucamonga.

The suspect's most current residence is in Santa Barbara. We believe the time frame for the arsons in Fontana and Rancho Cucamonga was somewhere between 3:00 pm and 4:00 pm.

The suspect is believed to be armed and dangerous. Please contact 909-350-7700 if you have any information on the whereabouts of the suspect.