Sheriff’s Police Make Arson Arrest
Sheriff Mike Kelley is pleased to announce the recent arrest of Nathan J. Grant, age 33, of Wheaton, Illinois, for the offenses of Aggravated Arson, Arson, Burglary, and Criminal Damage to Property.
On 04/18/2024, at approximately 2:03 PM, deputies with the Will County Sheriff’s Office responded to the Menard’s located in the Village of Homer Glen regarding a fire that had occurred at that location.
When deputies arrived, they were advised by personnel with the 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 offender 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 Menard’s observed smoke coming from behind the doors and was able to put the fire out with a fire extinguisher.
Store surveillance video was utilized to locate a suspect who entered the store at approximately 1:40 PM. The suspect was a Male/White wearing a black hat, black winter-style coat, dark jeans, with tan boots.
After the fire was started, the suspect left the store and returned to his car. The suspect’s vehicle is seen leaving the area driving South on Bell Road going out of camera view. Once detectives arrived at the Menard’s, they learned of a similar incident that occurred at the Menard’s in Tinley Park an hour after the fire was set in Homer Glen.
With the use of FLOCK license plate reader (LPR) cameras, detectives were able to develop a license plate of the suspect vehicle which was a gray BMW registered to Nathan Grant.
With the assistance of the Wheaton Police Department, the vehicle was located in an apartment complex in Wheaton, Illinois. The suspect was taken into custody wearing the same clothing observed on surveillance videos.
Detectives with the Will County Sheriff’s Office and the Tinley Park Police Department interviewed the suspect at the Wheaton Police Department. Nathan Grant made numerous incriminating statements to detectives regarding the incidents at both Menards in Homer Glen and in Tinley Park.
Once detectives were done speaking to Nathan Grant, he was transported to the Will County Adult Detention Facility (WCADF). Nathan Grant will be housed at the WCADF and is awaiting his initial court appearance.
The Will County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank 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 for their assistance in this investigation.