Arson charges filed after woman tells police God ordered condo fire

Lindsay Marie Rozner, a 40-year-old Wilmington resident, now faces three counts of arson for a fire that tore through her apartment in Crest Hill on Aug. 9. The fire started in the ground floor unit of a three-story building with four units per floor, threatening the safety of residents living above and alongside her. Prosecutors say the blaze caused significant damage to the ceiling, walls, and carpet within her unit.

Will County prosecutors filed the charges in recent days. The counts include one count of aggravated arson and two counts of residential arson. Court documents state that Rozner had received a 30-day notice to vacate her lease prior to the incident. She claimed her landlord was harassing her over a broken sliding door she refused to pay to repair.

According to the complaint, Rozner set the fire after hosting three homeless individuals in her apartment. Police records indicate she invited them to shower and change clothes. One man, Christopher Bayuk, told police that Rozner washed his clothes while he showered. Another pair smoked crack in the bathroom, which upset Rozner and led her to call police. After officers left around 6:10 p.m., Rozner returned to the unit and allegedly set the fire.

Rozner fled the scene in a taxi to a gas station in Braidwood, where she paid the driver $60 in cash. She then took a ride to the home of Joseph Hollis in Godley. The next day, police interviewed her by phone. At that time, Rozner admitted she had matches in the apartment. GPS data from her ankle monitor showed she left the condo at 8:41 p.m. on the night of the fire.

On Sept. 18, fire investigator Jason Pytlewski interviewed Rozner at the Will County Jail. She told him her father is God and that he commanded her to start the fire because her landlord had done illegal things. Rozner stated that God told her to use lighter fluid and matches. Investigators found matches in both bedrooms and a bottle of charcoal lighter fluid on the main bedroom floor. Lab tests confirmed the presence of medium petroleum distillate, a key ingredient in charcoal lighter fluid.

Rozner has been detained since Sept. 13 under the SAFE-T-Act on unrelated charges. She currently has several pending criminal cases, including charges for criminal trespass, battery, and aggravated assault. Her court paperwork lists no permanent address, a monthly wage of $3,600, and two children.

The fire was classified as incendiary because the front and patio doors were locked from the inside and no electrical faults were found. Prosecutors noted that other residents were home during the fire, including two children in the unit directly above Rozner.