Background: Fawn Ridge Court in Greenville, Wis., where Nicholas Grundman allegedly set a house on fire (Google Maps). Inset: Nicholas Grundman (Outagamie County Sheriff’s Office).
A harrowing incident unfolded in Wisconsin when a man, embroiled in a tumultuous divorce, allegedly attempted to execute a horrifying act against his estranged wife. Nicholas Grundman, aged 47, now faces grave charges including attempted murder, arson, and stalking. Authorities allege he endeavored to set fire to his wife’s residence while she remained inside.
The saga began when Grundman’s wife, having had enough of his behavior, filed for divorce in February, a little over a year into their marriage. She described her husband as a “full-blown alcoholic” incapable of maintaining employment, a factor that significantly strained their relationship. In January, her patience reached a breaking point when she returned home to find Grundman, unemployed and intoxicated, prompting her to ask him to leave.
The situation escalated dramatically on March 19, shortly after midnight, when emergency services received a frantic 911 call. The caller, later confirmed as Grundman’s wife, reported a fire engulfing her attached garage at their home on Fawn Ridge Court in Greenville, Wisconsin. Fortunately, she managed to escape unharmed along with her three cats and two dogs. She recounted to the police that she had been in a deep sleep until one of her cats persistently pawed at her face, rousing her just as the house began to fill with smoke.
Upon discovering the fire’s source in the garage, she heroically extinguished the flames using a fire extinguisher, though not before her car and some of her son’s personal belongings sustained damage. In the days following the incident, Grundman’s wife provided further details to law enforcement. After requesting him to vacate their home, she initially financed his stay at a hotel, later moving him to an Airbnb. However, once he left the Airbnb, she lost track of his whereabouts. Soon after, he began bombarding her with calls and text messages, allegedly harassing her with communications every 30 minutes throughout the night.
After realizing the fire was in the garage, Grundman’s wife was able to put out the fire with an extinguisher. Her car was damaged as well as personal items that belonged to her son.
According to the complaint, Grundman’s wife spoke to police days later about her situation with Grundman. She said that after telling him to leave the house, she paid for him to stay at a hotel first and then an Airbnb. He eventually left the Airbnb and she lost track of where he was staying in the middle of March. However, he then started to text and call her “almost to the point of harassment,” allegedly every 30 minutes throughout the night.
On the day of the fire, Grundman’s wife called him to tell him to stop contacting her. He allegedly told her, “If I can’t have you, no one is going to have you.” He then hung up on her.
Police asked Grundman’s wife if she was fearful of her estranged husband, and she replied, “Absolutely.”
Investigators said they found accelerant at the scene of the fire as well as a bottle of lighter fluid.
On March 31, police went to a construction site where Grundman was working and placed him under arrest. He was allegedly carrying a backpack with a loaded Ruger Security-9 handgun that his wife said he had taken with him when she kicked him out of the house. When police asked him if he had been at the house, he said, “I wasn’t technically there, but I was being stupid.” He explained that while he did not go in the house, he regularly drove past the house to see if his wife was having someone over.
Grundman told police that March 18, the night the fire was allegedly set, was one of his “driving around days.” Police noted in the complaint that during this line of questioning, Grundman’s voice began to “shake.” Grundman told police that he “fell off the wagon” that night and drank “two 30 packs” of beer before driving past his wife’s house.
When police asked Grundman if he still had access to his wife’s garage, he “put his head down” and answered, “Yes, sir.” He then admitted that he accessed the garage on the night of the fire. After police told him that further testing would reveal proof that an accelerant was used, Grundman allegedly confessed that he “used gasoline” and “put a little bit next to the fridge.” He allegedly dumped more gasoline on the workbench in the garage then set it on fire with a lighter.
Grundman denied that he tried to kill his estranged wife.
Grundman was charged with attempted first-degree intentional homicide, two counts of arson, stalking, three counts of criminal damage to a property, and carrying a concealed weapon. He is currently in custody at the Outagamie County Jail, where he is being held on $1 million cash bond. His next court appearance is scheduled for April 14.
