IL Sheriff: Family Thanksgiving Argument Leads to Man Torching His Home

A Thanksgiving Day argument escalated to a dangerous level after an Illinois man allegedly set his home on fire following a war of words on one of America’s most cherished family holidays.

Lake County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Erik J. Crump, 21, on Thursday and charged the man with aggravated arson and residential arson in connection with the incident in Beach Park, a town of about 14,000 located on the shore of Lake Michigan about 45 miles north of Chicago.

Luckily, no one was injured in the blaze, which apparently was the culmination of a tense Turkey Day in the Crump household.

According to a statement posted by the sheriff’s office:

On November 27, 2025, at approximately 7:30 p.m., Lake County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to a non-violent, verbal domestic dispute at a residence in the 40100 block of North Lone Oak Road, Beach Park. Family members were upset with Erik J. Crump, 21, of the same address, as he was antagonizing and arguing with others in the home. Sheriff’s deputies arrived and were able to deescalate the situation. Crump, nor others, committed a crime and Crump agreed to keep to himself for the remainder of the evening.

But apparently the hard feelings didn’t end there. A little more than an hour later, according to the report, deputies returned to discover the home was on fire.

According to the sheriff’s report, “As firefighters arrived, they reported seeing a man, matching Crump’s description, armed with a knife, standing on the side of the roadway about a block from the residence.”

Crump then fled on foot, deputies said. The sheriff’s department brought in a canine team to track the man, but his scent ended in a roadway, causing them to believe he had gotten into a vehicle.

Deputies later found Crump at a storage facility and took him into custody. According to the sheriff’s report:

Further investigation by sheriff’s detectives determined that following the earlier argument, Crump was informed by his family that he was going to be kicked out of his home. Crump left the residence but returned a short time later and went to his bedroom, near the garage, before leaving again. Moments later, the family saw smoke filling the home and immediately evacuated. Detectives concluded that Crump used an accelerant to set his room on fire before fleeing the residence again.

Sheriff John D. Idleburg said that, ironically, the argument and fiery incident contained a Thanksgiving “blessing.”

“It’s nothing short of a blessing that nobody was injured or killed in this senseless act,” he said. “While families across Lake County were sitting down for Thanksgiving, our dispatchers were answering the call, and our deputies were out responding to them.”

Contributor Lowell Cauffiel is the best-selling author of Below the Line and nine other crime novels and nonfiction titles. See lowellcauffiel.com for more.