Chicago Fire actor Brian J White reveals dramatic moment he and neighbors tackled blowtorch-wielding illegal immigrant arson suspect near one of LA's raging wildfires

Chicago fire actor Brian J. White has revealed how he and his neighbors boldly apprehended a blowtorch-wielding arson suspect near one of LA's raging wildfires.

The 49-year-old was getting ready to evacuate his home in the Woodland Hills when he heard screaming coming from outside his front door last Thursday. 

White initially believed someone was holding a gun and that his neighbor was in trouble, telling Deadline: 'I hear screaming, ‘Put it down, put it down'.

The father-of-one told the news site that his daughter went to hide in the closet, while he raced outside to help his neighbour. 

But when he stepped onto his front lawn, White said his neighbor was confronting a man attempting to light a fire to his trash can filled with sticks and leaves. 

Juan Manuel Sierra-Leyva, who was in the country illegally, had been followed by the neighbor from down the block after he allegedly attempted to light an old Christmas tree in the trash on his street some 20 minutes prior. 

Joined by a third neighbor, White told the outlet they 'backed the guy against our neighbor's house that was standing in front of' and asked him why he was there.

Together, the neighbors held his arms behind his back and pushed him to the ground as they waited for police to arrive on the scene near the Kenneth Fire - which has since been contained.

White added that Sierra-Leyva was acting erratically and 'seemed a little bit out of it, a lot of out of it.'

He told Deadline the man then became 'very aggressive' when he was asked what he was doing in the neighborhood, to which Sierra-Leyva allegedly responded he was 'looking for a place to hang out'.

Footage captured White seemingly attempting to calm Sierra-Leyva down who was being restrained by other neighbors and placed into a citizen arrest. 

'It was more a hostage negotiating training,' White told Deadline. 

'I've gone on a lot of police ride-alongs over the years, and one of the main things they talk about is staying calm and communicating.' 

While Sierra-Leyva was confronted by the men, White's wife Paula Da Silva captured the incident on her phone from across the street.

White said the suspect arsonist was restrained with zip ties and rope from one of the neighbors' garages.  

Once an officer arrived, the men who intervened could be seen pointing out the suspect to the police officer, who proceeds to take him into custody.

Police officers said at the time the suspect was taken to the Topanga police station after being restrained for 'about 20 to 30 minutes.'

Sources also told DailyMail.com that a resident called 911 to report a male attempting to set a fire at the 21700 block of Ybarra road at around 4.30pm Thursday.

But officials later said they lacked the probable cause to arrest him on arson charges and instead arrested him on a probation violation. 

'After the interview and additional investigative steps, looking at some additional evidence that was present, they made the determination that there was not enough probable cause to arrest this person on arson or suspicion of arson,' LA Police Department Divisional Chief Dominic Choi said, according to the Daily Wire. 

Brian J. White is a Boston-born actor, best known for his roles in films such as he Family Stone, The Game Plan and 12 Rounds, as well as the TV shows Men of a Certain Age, Beauty & the Beast, and Ambitions.

More than six million people in LA remain under a critical fire threat as a result of the high winds experienced yesterday which prolonged a battle for firefighters combatting the blazes. 

At least 25 people have been killed in the wildfires and around 88,000 Californians remain under evacuation orders but are eager to return home.