A 19-year-old Wisconsin man was arrested in the early morning hours of Sunday for setting first to an office leased by a member of Congress in the city of Fond Du Lac. The unnamed man reportedly told police he was upset about the TikTok ban, which prohibited users from opening the app starting late Saturday, but came back online Sunday after promises from president-elect Donald Trump not to enforce the ban.
Police arrived at a structure fire at 525 N. Peters Avenue in the city of Fond Du Lac around 1:00 a.m. local time Sunday, according to local news station WMTV. The office is leased by U.S. Representative Glenn Grothman, a Republican who represents Wisconsin’s 6th District and voted in favor of the TikTok “ban or divest” law that had overwhelming bipartisan support.
The building was unoccupied when the fire started and no injuries have been reported. First responders were able to keep the fire in check with fire extinguishers until firefighters arrived, according to local news outlet Channel 3000. Judging by the photo released by Rep. Grothman’s office, which has gone viral on social media, it appears the fire blackened the outside of the door and damaged an air conditioning unit, as you can see above.
The 19-year-old arson suspect is from Menasha, according to ABC affiliate WISN, which reports he “admitted to starting the fire in response to recent talks of a TikTok ban.” That man has not yet been identified but is being held on an arson charge at the Fond du Lac County Jail.
“Acts of violence, in any form, are not tolerated, and we remain committed to protecting the safety and well-being of our community. I am thankful for the swift response of our Officers in helping knock down the fire and also locating the suspect of this arson,” Fond du Lac Police Chief Aaron Goldstein said in a statement to local news station WISN.
Rep. Grothman has not issued a statement on his social media platforms like X, YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram but told the local newspaper the FDL Reporter that he’s not sure what happened exactly.
“I don’t even know yet (what happened) other than somebody tried to set a fire over TikTok,” said Grothman, who unlike some members of Congress, appears to have never had a TikTok account.
The TikTok app went dark for U.S. users on Saturday night but came back online Sunday afternoon ET after incoming president Donald Trump said he’ll sign an executive order on Monday after he’s inaugurated at noon that will delay the ban. Strangely, Trump signaled that he want the U.S. federal government to own 50% of the app, though it’s not immediately clear how that would work.
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