Ex-Manager Paid To Burn Down Closed Restaurant In DeKalb: Reports

DEKALB, IL — The ex-manager of a shuttered Italian restaurant in DeKalb and two other men are charged with arson after the building was set ablaze earlier this month, according to police and media reports.

Emergency crews responded just before 6 p.m. Sept. 1 to the old Fanatico restaurant in the 1200 block of Blackhawk Road, where they found the building on fire, police said.

After an investigation, police announced the arrests of 38-year-old Rasim Spaijoski, 65-year-old Richard Chase and 38-year-old Joshua Patton. In addition to arson, Spaijoski is charged with solicitation and Patton and Chase are charged with possession of a controlled substance, according to police.

Spaijoski paid Chase to start the fire, and Chase paid Patton to help, police said.

In May 2021, Fanatico announced on Facebook it would be closed until further notice for repairs and maintenance. Spaijoski’s family owns the building, where he used to work as a manager at the restaurant, and the fire occurred while his parents were outside the country, according to the Daily Chronicle, which noted the blaze caused about $100,000 in damage.