Arrest records: Monument home explosion suspect used hairspray to shoot fire at others before blast

MONUMENT, Colo. (KRDO) - New court documents detail what led up to an explosion at a home in Monument that sent multiple police officers and county deputies to the hospital and also displaced those living at the home.

The suspect, 24-year-old Miguel Borja, is accused of intentionally setting off the explosion at the 42 Front Street home, and is currently facing charges of:

• Five counts of Attempted Homicide of a Peace Officer
• Three counts of Attempted Homicide
• One count of First-Degree Arson
• One count of Attempted First-Degree Assault

According to arrest records for Borja, the victims at the home – two adults and one 6-year-old child – told El Paso County deputies that Borja was prescribed medication for something he was diagnosed with, but he hadn't been taking that medication for three weeks leading up to the incident.

They claim on Thursday, May 15, Borja shoved one of them into a closet in his room after they went to tell him to turn music down. Afterwards, he threatened to kill the rest of them. When they contacted Monument Police, they were advised to not go into Borja's room or interact with him again.

Then on Saturday, the victims said that while watching a movie, they heard their dog barking outside. When they went to get the dog, they noticed Miguel bringing a 5-gallon gasoline can into his room.

When they asked to take it back from him, they claimed that he held up a can of hairspray and used a lighter to spew fire at them through his window from inside his room.

Another victim confirmed the same story in the arrest documents, saying it happened to them too and telling a detective, "I knew it wasn't going to be good."

It was then the victims called 911 and evacuated from the house. Soon after, Monument Police officers and El Paso County Sheriff's deputies arrived. Arrest documents say they attempted to speak to Miguel through the door inside the home, and tried to call his cellphone.

Eventually, due to the severity of the alleged crimes, a mix of two officers and three deputies lined up to enter Borja's room in a stack formation, with a shield being held at the front.

That's when an explosion erupted from the room, knocking the five of them backwards to the ground and melting the shield they were holding. A deputy quickly grabbed a fire extinguisher to put out some of the fire.

The five officers and deputies were transported to a local hospital, but all have since been released. Borja is currently being treated for burns at a Denver-area hospital.

Monument and Tri-Lakes Fire tells KRDO13 that the home was condemned and deemed unsafe to live in following the incident. The victims and multiple pets were displaced from the home. They're now in search of somewhere to stay, as many belongings were ruined by the smoke and explosive damages inside.

A neighbor, Jessica Enders, organized a fundraiser to help them at this time. She says her son played with the child living there and she wants to help them recover from such a devastating situation.

You can find that fundraiser here.

Detectives requested that Borja have an elevated bond due to the nature of charges against him, in addition to counts of second degree assault on a peace officer from two separate incidents that he was on bond for from the fall of 2023.

Court records show that Borja was deemed incompetent in January 2025 for those two cases. The filing was made by Borja's defense team, and it was not contested by either party. A competency evaluation report was filed last week on May 12.

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