Council Bluffs man charged in connection w/a Sioux City fast food restaurant fire
December 31st, 2025 by Ric Hanson
SIOUX CITY (KTIV) – An 18-year-old is facing charges after firefighters in Sioux City were called to a fast-food restaurant on Gordon Drive. According to Sioux City Police, first responders were sent to the Wendy’s at 3805 Gordon Drive after getting a call on Tuesday, Dec. 30, reporting a fire.
The call came in at about 9 a.m., and police say customers and employees were evacuated from the building while Sioux City Fire Rescue extinguished the fire and secured the scene. “After reviewing surveillance video, investigators were able to identify a suspect who they believed was responsible for setting the fire,” stated the Sioux City Police Department in a press release.
Police say this suspect, identified as 18-year-old Malachi Neylon of Council Bluffs, Iowa, was located at a separate business a short distance from the Wendy’s.
Neylon is facing one count of first-degree arson and one count of fourth-degree criminal mischief. Under Iowa law, first-degree arson carries a possible sentence of up to 25 years in prison, and the criminal mischief charge is a misdemeanor that has a maximum penalty of one year in jail.

