Man Sentenced For Oak Brook Attempted Arson: Prosecutors

ELMHURST, IL – A Chicago man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for trying to start a fire in 2018 at an Oak Brook movie theater, prosecutors said Tuesday.

David Ferguson, 33, pleaded guilty to one count of attempted aggravated arson, a felony.

In the early evening of Jan. 12, 2018, the manager of the Oak Brook AMC Theater was informed by an employee about a suspicious man walking around the area of theater 5, according to the DuPage County State's Attorney's Office.

When the manager went to theater 5, he smelled a strong odor, later determined to be paint thinner, coming from theater 6. The manager saw moviegoers leaving theater 6.

When the manager entered theater 6, he found Ferguson seated with a can of paint thinner on his lap, prosecutors said. The manager escorted Ferguson out of the theater, which is when Ferguson tried to light a cigarette, police said. He was then removed from the property.

Oak Brook police found Ferguson had poured paint thinner on the theater floor and left paper towels soaked with the thinner, prosecutors said.

In July 2018, DuPage County issued an arrest warrant for Ferguson while he was being held in the Cook County Jail facing unrelated aggravated arson charges. He has remained in custody ever since.

"Fortunately, thanks to the alertness of staff and the quick response of the manager at the Oak Brook Center AMC Theater, a possible tragedy was averted," DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin said in a news release. "Thankfully, no fire was ever set, and no one was injured from the chemical fumes."

Ferguson will be required to serve half of his DuPage County sentence, to be served after his six-year Cook County sentence, prosecutors said.