Fiery end to Downey feud By Samantha Gonzaga, Staff writer

DOWNEY — Not many people knew how Gene Berger's house looked. The reclusive 85-year-old had hidden his home behind a chainlink fence, a "Private Property" sign and the thick foliage of lemon and orange trees a view so different from his neighbors' unfenced and open lawns.

And after early Sunday morning, all they have to go by are the remains of his Spanish-style house's charred foundation, the skeletal frame of his van, a sea of black mud littered with torn book pages, newspapers and melted plastic curios, and a mystery.

At around 4:45 a.m. Berger, armed with two pistols, ignited fire bombs on the front porch of two neighboring homes on the cul-de-sac of Bergman Lane, authorities said.

Police arrived to find him with his arm engulfed in flames. Berger went inside his own house, which caught fire, exploded and burned to the ground. His body was found in the ruins, said Downey Fire Department Capt. Brian Wolf.

According to police reports, Berger had a long-standing conflict with his neighbors about parking on the sidewalk near his house.

"There was a neighborly feud that went on with parking," Wolf said."

When the fire crew retrieved Berger's body, Wolf said, they had to contend with stacks of old newspapers and other items Berger had collected over the years. Also found were four guns legally registered in his name: two pistols, a bolt-action rifle and an Uzi. About 14 canisters of gasoline were found, but no illegal ammunition was discovered, he said.

The neighborhood children found him odd and unapproachable.

"He was disturbing," said Guerrero's grandson Austin, 9. "You'd never see him outside. That guy was scary."

Austin said Berger was not fond of the neighborhood children, an ethnically diverse group of friends who hung out and played baseball on the street.

Children didn't walk past Berger's house on their way to the strip mall, he said. They ran.

If a baseball sailed past his fence, children had to get their parents to talk Berger into returning it, said Austin and Telecia.

Austin also said he recalls Berger threatening children to get off his property by pointing a shotgun at them.

A man who said he was a former resident, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that Berger pulled a gun on two children years ago. "He's always been a loner," he said of Berger. "Not the kind of guy who'd have a conversation with you. … He was not a social person."

Telecia, who is African-American, said he would also make hurtful and sometimes racist remarks.

He would use the "n-word," she said, "and he'd say he'd chop our heads off."

"We never thought he'd do anything like this, though," Telecia continued.

Samantha Gonzaga can be reached at (562) 499-1284.

Submitted on 01/09/2006

Submitted by: Joseph Khoury
Reference: Long Beach PressTelegram 9Jan

Copyright © 2006 DarwinAwards.com

Greg said:
Neutral: Darwin Award
Hmmm, we have this - but this is more info.

James said:
Definitely Keep: For Darwin's Eyes
Agreed. I'd say let Darwin decide on the new info...

Jack said:
Definitely Keep: For Darwin's Eyes
I'll go along with letting Darwin make the decision on this one.

The Darwin Awards Gift Shop

The Darwin Awards Condom Keep yourself out of the gene pool! A condom in a matchbook, useful for emergency contraception, bachelor parties, frat parties, and important rites of passage. LOADED inside and out with funny quotes and stories. Everyone loves this item! Friends don't let friends reproduce! $13 for Pack of 4