TikTok Was Barely Banned Two Hours When Disaffected Teen Allegedly Committed Crime Targeting Key Congressman
Police in east-central Wisconsin arrested a male teenager Sunday for allegedly setting fire to a strip mall leasing space for a congressman’s district office over the lawmaker’s position on banning TikTok.
The suspected 19-year-old arsonist from Menasha set fire to the building housing the office of Republican Wisconsin Rep. Glenn Grothman early Sunday morning, the Fond du Lac Police Department (FDLPD) alleged.
Grothman had voted in support of the TikTok ban if its Chinese owner, ByteDance, failed to sell the app, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.
Wisconsin Teen Arrested for Arson at Rep. Glenn Grothman’s Office After TikTok Ban
A 19-year-old set fire to the congressman’s Fond du Lac office in protest of the TikTok ban. No injuries reported. The suspect faces arson charges. pic.twitter.com/oEoXpue3S3
— NTC Report (@NTC_Report) January 19, 2025
FDLPD officers and the City of Fond du Lac Fire Rescue responded to the report of the fire at about 1:02 a.m. and were able to contain the fire until first responders arrived and put it out, the FDLPD said.
FDLPD officers spotted the suspect near the strip mall. The suspect “admitted to starting the fire in response to recent talks of a TikTok ban,” according to the FDLPD’s statement. (Read more from “TikTok Was Barely Banned Two Hours When Disaffected Teen Allegedly Committed Crime Targeting Key Congressman” HERE)
