Man charged in Schaumburg break-in, arson at friends' house

A Streamwood man has been charged with breaking into and setting fire to the Schaumburg home of some friends with whom he'd argued earlier the same night.

Artur Kazimierczyk, 21, of 27 Foxglove Court, Streamwood, was charged with aggravated arson and residential burglary after turning himself into Schaumburg police Thursday.

Police said Kazimierczyk had been socializing with his longtime friends at their single-family home on the 1800 block of Wedgewood Lane Wednesday evening.

Following a disagreement, the residents asked Kazimierczyk to leave, police said.

Awakened by loud noises at 12:35 a.m. Thursday, the residents reportedly discovered that Kazimierczyk had entered their home without permission and was breaking windows and other property with a baseball bat.

The residents fled the house and called police, but Kazimierczyk had reportedly left before officers arrived. A search was made for him at his home and workplace, but he could not be located.

A Schaumburg snowplow driver later called police at 4:26 a.m. Thursday to report seeing the front of the same house on fire. Officers arrived and escorted the residents out without injury.

Police said an investigation determined that arson was the cause of the fire, while further evidence led to Kazimierczyk's being identified as a suspect.

After learning that detectives were seeking him, Kazimierczyk turned himself into custody in the company of his attorney, police said.

Bond was set at $80,000 at a court hearing Friday morning. Kazimierczyk's next scheduled court appearance is Jan. 15 at the Cook County courthouse in Rolling Meadows.