Court records or credible news outlet reporting on the case outcome

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, 06:04 PM

A 19-year-old man from Menasha, Wisconsin, was arrested early Sunday morning after allegedly setting fire to a strip mall at 525 N. Peters Ave in Fond du Lac, where U.S. Representative Glenn Grothman's district office is located. The suspect cited the recent TikTok ban as his motive for starting the fire. The incident occurred around 1 a.m., and the building was unoccupied at the time, resulting in no injuries. The fire was contained outside the building, affecting the siding and an air conditioning unit. The suspect admitted to the act in response to talks of a TikTok ban, which went into effect over the weekend after the Supreme Court upheld a law banning the app due to national security concerns about TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance. Grothman, a Republican, had voted in favor of the legislation that led to the ban. President-elect Donald Trump has indicated he will sign an executive order to stall the app's ban. The suspect is currently being held at Fond du Lac County Jail, and an arson charge is being referred to the Fond du Lac County District Attorney's Office.