Arrest Made In Arson Incidents At Tinley, Homer Glen Menards Stores

WILL COUNTY, IL — A 33-year-old Wheaton man faces charges after police say he intentionally set fires inside Menards stores in Tinley Park and Homer Glen Thursday afternoon.

Will County Sheriff's police were called Thursday just after 2 p.m. to the Homer Glen Menards location, for a report of a fire inside the store.

When deputies arrived, they were told by Northwest Homer Fire that an unknown individual had placed cotton balls that were soaked in a flammable liquid between interior wooden doors located in an aisle of the store. The suspect then set the cotton balls on fire, causing damage to property and the surrounding area.

A total of 10 white interior doors and carpet were damaged in the fire. Deputies learned that an employee with Menards saw smoke coming from behind the doors and was able to put the fire out with a fire extinguisher.

Store surveillance video used to locate a suspect who entered the store at approximately 1:40 p.m. The suspect was a white man wearing a black hat, black winter style coat and dark jeans with tan boots.

After the fire was started, the man left the store and returned to his car. The suspect’s vehicle was seen leaving the area driving south on Bell Road.

Detectives at the Homer Glen store then learned of a similar incident at the Tinley Park Menards location, an hour after the incident in Homer Glen, Will County Sheriff's police said Friday night.

With the use of FLOCK license plate reader (LPR) cameras, detectives were able to develop a license plate of the suspect vehicle, a gray BMW registered to a Nathan Grant. With the assistance of the Wheaton Police Department, the vehicle was found in an apartment complex in Wheaton, Illinois.

Nathan J. Grant, of Wheaton, was taken into custody wearing the same clothing seen on surveillance videos, the sheriff's department said. Detectives with the Will County Sheriff’s Office and the Tinley Park Police Department interviewed Grant at the Wheaton Police Department, police said.

According to the sheriff's office, Grant made numerous incriminating statements to detectives regarding the incidents at both stores. He was charged with aggravated arson, arson, burglary and criminal damage to property.

He was taken to the Will County Adult Detention Facility, where he awaits his initial court appearance.

The Will County Sheriff’s Office worked in cooperation with the Wheaton Police Department, the Tinley Park Police Department, the Orland Park Police Department, the DuPage County Sheriff’s Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) and the Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal in the investigation.