Beach Park Man Sets Thanksgiving Mood — and House — on Fire After Family Argument

Everyone survived except the home’s resale value

BEACH PARK, Ill. — Thanksgiving dinner in Beach Park ended with a “bang,” a “whoosh,” and several badly singed load-bearing walls after a local man allegedly decided to express holiday frustration by flambéing the family home.

Lake County deputies were first called around 7:30 p.m. to the 40100 block of North Lone Oak Road for a classic seasonal activity: a family argument. Authorities say 21-year-old Erik J. Crump had gotten into it with relatives, and tensions were… what experts call “crispy.”

Deputies successfully cooled things down and convinced Crump to take some personal space — away from the other humans.

That lasted about an hour.

Roughly 60 minutes later, deputies were summoned back when the house appeared to be enthusiastically on fire. Firefighters reported spotting a man matching Crump’s description holding a knife and lingering around the blaze, which is a huge red flag in the Homeowner’s Manual. The suspect then ran off, apparently deciding cardio was the best part of his day.

A perimeter was created and Crump was ultimately discovered at a storage facility on North Lewis Avenue, where he was taken into custody without incident — proving that even people who start fires still appreciate an orderly storage unit.

Detectives say Crump had been told he might be kicked out of the home, and in response, allegedly decided to kick the home out of itself by using an accelerant to torch his bedroom. The fire spread, causing the kind of “major damage” insurance adjusters need a stiff drink to discuss. Miraculously, nobody was hurt.

The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office approved charges of aggravated arson and residential arson, which is about as surprising as discovering gravy on Thanksgiving.

Lake County Sheriff John D. Idleburg summed up the event by saying, “It’s nothing short of a blessing that nobody was injured or killed in this senseless act,” adding that while most families were sitting down to turkey, deputies were sitting down to burning houses and fleeing suspects.

Crump is scheduled to appear in court Friday, where, for the record, open flames are strongly discouraged.