Court records: Days before Main Street fire, shop owner was served an eviction notice over more than $50K in unpaid rent
An Old Town Newhall business owner, whose location has been identified as the place where Monday’s fire on Main Street started, was facing a court order claiming more than $50,000 in back rent at that location, along with an eviction notice, according to court records.
On the Wednesday before the fire, Aug. 19, Judge David Gelfound ruled John W. Wright of Gary’s Auto Collision had 10 days to answer to Main Street Newhall LLC, after Gelfound denied Wright’s effort to challenge an eviction notice and the accompanying complaint.
Wright said he intends to respond that the amount owed is closer to $15,000, disputing some of the charges from his landlord, which he called “unjustified.”
L.A. County Sheriff’s Department officials as of Wednesday have not identified any suspects in the fire, which is under investigation by the Arson/Explosives Detail. The blaze destroyed multiple businesses on Main Street, including the Newhall Refinery restaurant, The Main Theatre and the Care Tucker Style House boutique.
A detective familiar with the case, speaking on background Wednesday, said detectives are aware Santa Clarita is a “close-knit community” and “everybody has a version of what’s going on up there,” referring to rampant speculation about the cause and suspects circulating via social media.
The official also said it was too early to identify the suspected cause, because detectives are still trying to “sort through all the information.”
On Wednesday, Wright said he was “deeply saddened” by Monday’s fire and “blown away” at some of the things that have been said, adding he’s received threats in response to some of the social media posts that have been shared about his business.
What’s available from public records and witness statements indicates a business owner who has run afoul of customers and associates, as well as having a fire at another of his auto shops just over a year ago.
Gary’s Auto Collision
Arthur Aaronson of Aaronson & Aaronson, who represents Main Street LLC, the legal entity that owns the Gary’s Auto Collision property, confirmed Wednesday his client had an active case against Wright over unpaid rent.
The proceedings against Wright began May 22, when a three-day pay-or-quit notice was issued over unpaid rent.
The business owner had been on a $9,500 month-to-month lease at the location, per court records, and Aaronson said that Wright was $51,922.85 in arrears on his payments.
The court had scheduled a discussion for two hearings last week: one that considered Wright’s motion to quash his eviction notice, and a demurrer, which was an attempt by Wright to challenge the legal basis for the complaint.
Both were denied, leaving Wright 10 days to answer to the court, Aaronson said.
“Listen, until it’s investigated … I can’t make any conclusions. We all know that Mr. Wright had other problems and we all know that another of his locations burned down a year prior,” Aaronson said, in response to a request for a statement. He added that he would leave it up to the authorities to determine what caused the fires, and he has full faith in them.
Wright shared a different version of events Wednesday, acknowledging that he had been late with some payments, which has “kind of been my MO for the last few years,” he said.
He said he was “coaxed” into signing the month-to-month lease with the promise of a $200,000 payment from the owners when the property was sold.
“But I did pay him,” he said, adding a $24,000 payment was made in January.
He said the disputed amount came from “insurance increases” and “all sorts of fees on top of fees” that he described as unjustified.
Halsey’s Auto Service
Santa Clarita resident Brian Slocombe loves the challenge of working on cars, he said, and it was that passion that drove him to purchase Halsey’s, according to a previous interview.
On Wednesday, he described the ownership experience as “lesson learned.”
He said Wednesday that he made an agreement with Wright to take over Halsey’s in December 2019, with the first payment due the following month, which just happened to be about three months prior to a global pandemic shutting down businesses.
The new business owner tried to work through it with assistance from the Small Business Administration and even the COVID-era Paycheck Protection Program, but nearly two years into the experience, Slocombe said he had to cut his losses in October 2022, after falling behind on rent.
He said he made an agreement with Wright in order to give him back the business — there was no payment, just a “walk-away” situation, he said. He hired an attorney to dissolve his legal ties.
Wright said when he took the business back over, he had to pay months of unpaid rent at two locations, which he did. He said the total ended up being $150,000.
On July 30, 2025, Halsey’s Auto Shop at 27565 Sierra Highway, burned down. Wright said he received insurance payment for his tools that were lost in the blaze, declining to give the claim amount.
A member of the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department Arson and Explosives Detail confirmed the fire at Halsey’s was referred to the unit for investigation. The cause of that fire remains undetermined, according to the official.
Wright said that, with both incidents, he’s been cooperating with law enforcement, even giving them a list of who he thinks was responsible.
“The Halsey’s (fire), I had my people of interest that I gave them info on, that they didn’t act on,” he said, adding there was a “laundry list” of suspects that included disgruntled former employees and customers.
“Are they linked?” he said Wednesday, in response to the question. They could be.”
