Mountain Brook native chases Auburn tree fire suspect

by

Herron Taylor’s adrenaline spiked and she jumped into action.

Following Auburn's victory over LSU on Saturday, Taylor was posing for a picture with her boyfriend, Brendan McGowan, at Toomer's Corner around 12:15 a.m. Sunday. The intended background was the beautiful display of toilet paper showered over the famed oak trees. Instead, the person capturing the moment noticed something.

“The guy taking our picture says, ‘Oh my gosh, that guy is lighting the tree on fire,’” Taylor said, a 2014 graduate of Mountain Brook High School.

One strand of toilet paper was set on fire and, within seconds, the rest of the tree was engulfed.

“There was nothing I could really do,” Taylor said. “I went over to my boyfriend and he said, ‘that’s the guy.’”

Without a second thought, Taylor took off after Joichen West, the man who allegedly set the trees on fire and has since been identified and charged by the Auburn Police Division.

“When I confronted him, he realized that he really, really messed up,” she said. “He was trying to get away and I was like, ‘Nope, I’m coming after you.’”

While in pursuit, Taylor said she was yelling and pointing the man out to anyone who would listen. Bystanders surrounded the man until the police arrived shortly thereafter.

Auburn University students and fans have long rolled the trees at Toomer’s Corner after football victories and other athletic achievements at the university. The original trees were poisoned in 2011, and replaced with new ones in 2015. Fans were allowed to begin rolling the trees a few weeks ago.

“Those trees are such a big part of our history and tradition and something the entire Auburn family and bond over. A few hours before (the incident), we were rolling the trees,” Taylor said.

For many students like Taylor, now a junior, this fall was her first chance to celebrate in that fashion.

“We were all so excited to have them back and to have this happen, it’s kind of disheartening,” she said.

Taylor said she has had fans all across the country reach out to her, including someone from Australia, telling her that her actions were heroic. She rejects that notion.

“Maybe if I wasn’t the person who did it, I’d probably say that person is awesome,” she said.