Court records or official announcements from the Fond du Lac County Court

19-Year-Old Arrested for Arson at Rep. Glenn Grothman's Office in Fond du Lac Over TikTok Ban, No Injuries Reported

Jan 19, 2025, 05:47 PM

A 19-year-old man from Menasha, Wisconsin, was arrested early Sunday morning after allegedly setting fire to a strip mall in Fond du Lac, where U.S. Representative Glenn Grothman's office is located. The suspect cited the recent TikTok ban as his motive for the arson. The TikTok ban was passed after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the legislation aimed at forcing ByteDance, TikTok's parent company, to divest from Chinese ownership or face a ban. The fire was reported around 1 a.m., and no injuries were reported as the building was unoccupied at the time. The Fond du Lac Police Department and Fire Rescue personnel responded promptly, using fire extinguishers to control the blaze until it was fully extinguished. The suspect is currently held at Fond du Lac County Jail, facing an arson charge. Representative Grothman, who voted in favor of the legislation banning TikTok, had his office targeted in this incident.