April 30--Forklift operator Ruben Antonio Ochoa Cruz had just been confronted about missing work at a Woodridge furniture warehouse and decided he needed to do something to relieve the stress he was feeling, according to federal prosecutors.
Minutes after walking out of his boss' office last week, Cruz took a Bic lighter and ignited a packing slip on the floor of the massive RoomPlace furniture warehouse, according to a criminal complaint unsealed Friday.
"I see a little fire, and then I throw it," Cruz allegedly told federal investigators. "They always pushing me."
The April 21 fire quickly raged out of control as flames that could be seen for miles swept through the 325,000-square-foot building in the 2500 block of Internationale Parkway. It took more than 100 firefighters about seven hours to get the blaze under control, authorities said. Officials estimated the damages at $70 million.
Cruz, 20, appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Maria Valdez on Friday charged with one count of intentionally damaging property by fire, a charge that carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison if he is convicted.
Dressed in an orange prison jumpsuit, Cruz, of Joliet, listened to the proceedings through a Spanish interpreter. He was ordered held in custody pending a detention hearing Wednesday.
According to the charges, Cruz met with his supervisor -- identified as Individual A -- for about half an hour before setting the fire. The supervisor informed Cruz, who had worked at the warehouse for about seven months, that he was going to be docked vacation days because he had missed two days of work earlier in the month. But Cruz claimed he had been at work on those days.
"(Cruz) became upset during the meeting, and a heated argument ensued, during which Individual A told (Cruz) he had enough information to terminate his employment," the complaint said.
At one point, the supervisor called another manager into the office because he was afraid Cruz would become violent, according to the complaint. Individual A told Cruz he wanted to be fair, so before taking any action he would review video footage and check with security to see if Cruz had indeed been at work on the two days in question.
Cruz "appeared to calm down" and left the meeting to go back to work on the warehouse floor. About 15 minutes later, the facility's fire alarms went off.
