A 21-year-old woman with a pending arson charge in Colorado deliberately torched baby cribs inside a crowded Illinois Walmart on New Year’s Eve, creating a scene that could have turned into one of America’s deadliest retail disasters.
Story Highlights
- Adilyn Monette poured camping fuel on multiple baby cribs and ignited them while the Woodstock Walmart was packed with holiday shoppers
- The building’s automatic sprinkler system extinguished the fire before firefighters arrived, preventing potential mass casualties
- Monette faces Class X felony aggravated arson charges and remains detained without bail due to her prior Colorado arson case
- The incident caused an estimated $5 million in damages and forced the store’s closure during peak shopping season
Two Minutes That Nearly Changed Everything
Security cameras captured the chilling sequence of events that unfolded at 7:20 p.m. on December 31, 2025. Adilyn Monette calmly retrieved two cans of camping fuel from the sporting goods section, methodically moved to the baby department, doused multiple cribs with the accelerant, and struck a match. Within two minutes, she had transformed a routine shopping trip into a potential inferno that could have killed dozens.
The timing reveals the calculated nature of this attack. New Year’s Eve represents one of the busiest shopping periods of the year, and the Woodstock Walmart was described by authorities as “full” of customers. Monette didn’t stumble into this situation—she chose the moment when maximum damage to human life was possible.
When Systems Work and Tragedies Are Averted
The difference between a news story and a national tragedy came down to engineering and emergency response protocols that performed exactly as designed. The store’s automatic sprinkler system activated immediately, containing the blaze before it could spread beyond the baby section. Store employees executed evacuation procedures while Woodstock Fire/Rescue District responded within minutes to find the fire already extinguished.
This wasn’t luck—it was preparation meeting crisis. The sprinkler system, often taken for granted in retail environments, proved its worth when seconds mattered. Had the fire spread to other merchandise or blocked primary exit routes, the story of December 31, 2025, would have been written in obituaries rather than police reports.
A Pattern of Destruction Across State Lines
Monette’s arrest revealed a disturbing detail that transforms this incident from isolated criminal act to escalating pattern. She was already facing arson charges in Colorado and had been released on supervised probation when she decided to strike again in Illinois. This raises uncomfortable questions about how someone with pending arson charges can move freely across state lines and access the materials needed to commit another fire-based attack.
McHenry County State’s Attorney Randi Freese recognized the implications immediately, upgrading Monette’s charges from a Class 2 felony to a Class X felony specifically because customers were present during the arson. Judge Cynthia Lamb denied pretrial release, acknowledging that someone willing to set fires in crowded public spaces poses an unacceptable risk to community safety.
Sources:
Law and Crime – Woman set Walmart baby cribs ablaze with camping fuel
Local 12 – Walmart fire baby cribs arson causes millions in damages
Northwest Herald – Woodstock Walmart fire alleged arson caused $5M in damage
ABC7 Chicago – Woman charged with arson at Woodstock Walmart