Wisconsin Teen Says Short-Lived TikTok Ban Was Motive for Allegedly Setting Fire to Local Congressman’s Office: Police

A Wisconsin teen was arrested and charged with arson over the weekend after police say he set fire to a local congressman’s office and cited the TikTok ban as his motive.

Around 1 a.m. local time on Sunday, Jan. 19, the City of Fond du Lac Police Department (FDLPD) responded to reports of a fire at a local strip mall on N. Peters Avenue, which contained the district office of Republican U.S. Rep. Glenn Grothman, according to a news release shared with PEOPLE.

Upon arriving at the scene, police “used fire extinguishers to hold the fire in check” until fire personnel arrived to put out the blaze. The FDLPD then located a 19-year-old man from Menasha near the strip mall.

The teen “admitted to starting the fire in response to recent talks of a TikTok ban,” according to police, before being arrested and charged with arson. He is being held at Fond du Lac County Jail and will be referred to the Fond du Lac County District Attorney’s Office, the FDLPD said.

The building was unoccupied at the time of the fire, no injuries were reported and an investigation by both the police and the City of Fond du Lac Fire Rescue is in its “preliminary stages,” according to authorities.

“We are relieved that no one was injured and the office was unoccupied at the time of the fire,” FDLPD Chief Aaron Goldstein said in a statement. “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.”

Following the fire, Grothman issued a statement on his X account on Jan. 19, reiterating that “nobody was hurt in the fire and the damage has been contained.” He added, “Thank you to the FDL firefighters and police officers for your swift response.”

According to ABC News, the politician voted for a bill last April that mandated ByteDance — the Chinese owners of TikTok — to sell the app or shut down this weekend.

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The Supreme Court previously ruled on Jan. 17 that the law forcing TikTok to cease U.S. operations if it didn’t divest from Chinese ownership was constitutional. The sell-or-ban legislation was previously passed by Congress and signed by President Joe Biden last year, after president-elect Donald Trump initially revealed a plan to ban TikTok from operating in the U.S. during his first term in office in April 2020. 

Following the Supreme Court ruling, TikTok shut down for U.S. users on Saturday, Jan. 18, but returned to operating less than 24 hours later, after the platform shared in a statement that it was “in the process of restoring service” to Americans.

The TikTok statement also thanked Trump, 78, who wrote on his Truth Social platform over the weekend that he intended to “save TikTok” and issue an executive order to stall the platform’s federal ban, at least temporarily.

Trump returns to office for his second term on Monday, Jan. 20.