Prosecutors File Three Arson Counts Against Crest Hill Condo Renter

Lindsay Marie Rozner, a 40-year-old Wilmington resident, now faces three counts of arson for a fire that broke out in her Crest Hill condominium last August. The charges follow a detailed investigation into the blaze that damaged unit 4 of a three-story building at 2331 Bicentennial Avenue.

Will County prosecutors filed the new charges, which include one count of aggravated arson and two counts of residential arson, against Rozner. She has remained in custody since September 13, when police detained her in Wilmington under the SAFE-T-Act for unrelated reasons. The new filings add to a list of pending criminal cases against her in the county.

The fire began on August 9 at 9:11 p.m. Prosecutors state that Rozner set the blaze after receiving a two-month notice terminating her lease. The unit was the ground floor of a building with four units per floor. According to court documents, the fire threatened the safety of all residents in the structure.

Rozner told police that she felt the landlord had harassed her over a broken sliding door. She maintained she should not have to pay for repairs. On the night of the fire, she invited three homeless individuals to her unit to shower and change clothes. She said a man and a woman smoked crack in the bathroom, which upset her.

After calling Crest Hill police, who arrived around 6:10 p.m., Rozner returned to her apartment. She later fled the scene in a taxi. The driver took her to a Marathon gas station in Braidwood, where she paid $60 in cash. A stranger then drove her to the home of Joseph Hollis in Godley, where she stayed the night.

Investigators from the Lockport Township Fire Department determined the fire was incendiary. The origin points were the mattress in the main bedroom and the carpet in the second bedroom. Firefighters had to force open the locked entrance and patio doors. Electrical causes were ruled out because no appliances were plugged in near the fire areas.

Examiners found matches in both bedrooms and a bottle of charcoal lighter fluid on the floor of the main bedroom. Lab tests confirmed the presence of medium petroleum distillate, a component of charcoal lighter fluid. Prosecutors noted that the fire caused damage to the ceiling, walls, and carpet inside Rozner's unit.