A suspected arsonist threw a Molotov cocktail at the gates of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s San Francisco home early Friday morning, then threatened to burn down the company’s headquarters an hour later, according to police.
The attack occurred around 3:40 a.m. at 855 Chestnut Street in Russian Hill, San Francisco Police Department said. The suspect hurled a bottle with a burning cloth at the metal gates of the residence. Security extinguished the flames after the fire damaged the gates. No one was injured.
NBC News cited police dispatch recordings in which an operator referred to the address as the “OpenAI CEO’s residence.”
About an hour later, around 5 a.m., the same man appeared at OpenAI’s Mission Bay headquarters and threatened to set the building on fire, police said. Officers identified him through surveillance footage from the Chestnut Street incident and arrested him at the scene.
Police identified the suspect as 20-year-old Daniel Alejandro Moreno-Gama, according to SF Standard. He faces charges of attempted murder, arson and possession of an incendiary device. The San Francisco District Attorney’s Office told ABC News that a decision on federal versus local jurisdiction could come next week. Information about legal representation was not available.
Police have not established a motive for the attacks and declined to comment on possible causes.
The FBI said it is aware of the incident and working with SFPD. The police department’s special investigations and arson units are conducting the investigation.
OpenAI spokesperson Jamie Radice confirmed both incidents. “No one was hurt. We are assisting law enforcement in their investigation,” CNN quoted Radice as saying.
Altman posted a photo of his husband and son on his personal blog Friday evening, writing that he shared the image hoping to dissuade “the next person” from similar actions.
In November 2025, OpenAI’s San Francisco offices were closed after threats from a 27-year-old man, CNN reported.