Police say the woman endured multiple surgeries, initially concealed what happened and later gave investigators texts and a recorded phone call.

PHOENIX, Ariz. — A 24-year-old Phoenix man was arrested nearly three months after police say he deliberately set his former girlfriend on fire outside her apartment following a breakup, leaving her with third-degree burns and injuries that required multiple surgeries and skin grafts.

Angel Anthony Nahle was taken into custody Aug. 18 at his workplace in Tempe after the woman reported the May 25 incident to Phoenix police earlier that month, according to police accounts and court documents cited by local and national news organizations. He was booked on multiple felony allegations that included aggravated assault, stalking and aggravated domestic violence. Contemporary court reporting also listed a threatening or intimidating allegation. The accusations have not been proven in court, and the available reports reviewed for this story did not establish a later disposition of the case.

The confrontation began after the woman ended her relationship with Nahle on May 24, investigators said. Police allege that Nahle repeatedly called and texted her during the night and became increasingly angry when she did not respond. Around 4 a.m. the next morning, she answered a FaceTime call. During that conversation, investigators say, Nahle accused her of being unfaithful, threatened to harm her and showed her a water bottle containing what he described as gasoline. Police said he also threatened to burn her vehicle. The sequence described in court records placed those threats immediately before Nahle traveled to her apartment while the call was still underway.

Investigators said the woman initially stayed inside her sister’s apartment because she was afraid of what Nahle might do after seeing him near her vehicle with the bottle. She eventually went outside in an effort to calm the situation, according to the police account. Authorities allege that Nahle remained upset and continued questioning her about the end of the relationship. When she briefly looked away, police say he moved toward her, splashed liquid believed to be gasoline onto the left side of her body and ignited it. Reports based on the probable cause statement say Nahle then helped remove her burning shirt as she tried to put out the flames.

The woman was taken to a hospital and treated for third-degree burns. Local reporting said her medical care included multiple operations and skin-graft procedures. Court records cited by Law&Crime and Phoenix-area outlets allege that the circumstances of the injury were not immediately disclosed to hospital personnel. Investigators said Nahle told the woman to say she had been hurt in a vehicle carburetor fire rather than tell medical workers that he was responsible. The woman later told police that Nahle stayed with her nearly constantly during her hospitalization, conduct she believed was meant to stop her from speaking openly about the attack.

Her account to investigators described the period after the hospital stay as one shaped by fear rather than reconciliation. She told police she continued the relationship with Nahle for several weeks because she feared for her safety, according to court documents summarized by the news organizations. She also reported that he had previously threatened to kill her and said she believed he could carry out those threats. Those statements were among the information investigators relied on when they sought charges. Authorities have described the case as a domestic violence investigation, but the woman’s name has not been included in the reports reviewed for this article.

The case did not reach police immediately. Investigators said the woman reported the incident on Aug. 4, more than two months after she was injured. That delay became a significant part of the police narrative because the woman told investigators she had been afraid of retaliation. After she came forward, according to Arizona’s Family, she supplied officers with text messages in which Nahle allegedly referred to the burning and his anger. Police said one of the messages warned that he might not be able to stop himself if a similar conflict occurred again. The contents were reported as evidence gathered by investigators and have not been tested at trial.

Police also received a recording made after the woman contacted authorities. Investigators said that during an Aug. 15 phone conversation, Nahle acknowledged considering a different form of violence before deciding to obtain gasoline and use it against her. The recording, as described in court records, gave detectives evidence that was separate from the woman’s account of the May confrontation. News reports did not publish the entire recording, and its full context was not available in the materials reviewed for this story. The reported statements are therefore attributed to investigators rather than presented as independent findings about what occurred.

Officers located Nahle three days after the recorded call, at a workplace in Tempe. Reports say he was taken into custody and later declined to answer investigators’ questions after being advised of his rights. Police records cited by Arizona’s Family also showed two prior domestic violence convictions. FOX 10 separately reported prior convictions involving robbery, criminal damage and domestic violence. Those earlier cases are distinct from the allegations arising from the May incident, and the existence of a prior record does not establish guilt in the pending case.

Initial booking information reported Aug. 19 placed Nahle in the Maricopa County jail and said bond had been set at $400,000. Reports at that time identified two aggravated assault counts along with stalking, threatening or intimidating and aggravated domestic violence allegations. Law&Crime described the case more broadly as involving multiple felony charges, including aggravated assault and stalking. Differences in early descriptions can reflect the stage at which reporters obtain booking or court records, and the available reporting reviewed for this article did not establish whether prosecutors later amended the charging document.

The investigation also illustrates why the weeks between an alleged violent act and a police report can become central to a criminal case. Here, investigators say the woman underwent extensive medical treatment while giving hospital staff an account she later said was false, remained in contact with the accused and did not approach police until August. Rather than treating that delay as evidence that the incident did not occur, detectives documented her explanation that she feared Nahle and then sought other material, including messages and the recorded conversation. Whether that evidence proves the criminal allegations is ultimately a matter for the court.

As of Sept. 28, the most recent reliable reporting reviewed for this story had not established a final disposition in Nahle’s case. Initial reports said he was jailed on $400,000 bond after his Aug. 18 arrest, while the aggravated assault, stalking and related allegations remained unresolved in court. Nahle is presumed innocent unless proved guilty.

Author note: Last updated September 28, 2026.