A 36-year-old Indiana man has been charged with arson after allegedly using his own severed penis to start a fire in a neighbor's garage. Christopher Peden of Fort Wayne is accused of cutting off his penis with a kitchen knife on May 6, pouring gasoline on the body part, and then setting it on fire inside the garage.
According to court documents, Peden initially told police he had been stabbed in the downtown area. However, he later admitted to investigators that he had been dishonest and intended to tell the truth about the incident. He confessed to harming himself inside the garage by severing his penis and using it as an accelerant.
Investigators collected evidence from the scene, including a red plastic gas container, four lighters, and the kitchen knife. Peden has been charged with arson and is scheduled to appear in court next week.