MADISON, Wis. — A 19-year-old man from Wisconsin has been charged with multiple offenses, including arson, after allegedly expressing his frustration with the federal ban on TikTok by attempting to set fire to a congressman’s office. Prosecutors filed the charges against Caiden Stachowicz on Wednesday in Fond du Lac County. The young man faces severe penalties, with the possibility of over 50 years in prison if he is convicted on all the charges laid against him, which also include making terrorist threats, attempted burglary, and property damage.
The district attorney, Eric Toney, revealed that Stachowicz was scheduled for his first court appearance on Wednesday morning. During this session, Judge Tricia Walker imposed a hefty cash bail of $500,000. Details from court records indicate that she also prohibited Stachowicz from having any contact with U.S. Representative Glenn Grothman, a Republican, or his staff. Moreover, the judge restricted him from using any dangerous weapons or fire-starting materials.
Stachowicz appeared for the court proceedings via video link from jail, and there was no attorney recorded on his behalf in the online records. The incident that led to his arrest occurred early Sunday when a police officer arrived at Grothman’s office in Fond du Lac to find Stachowicz present near a fire. The officer attempted to extinguish the flames, during which Stachowicz allegedly confessed to starting the fire out of dislike for Grothman. He was subsequently detained by the officer and taken to the police station, while firefighters managed to quickly control the blaze, minimizing any damage.
In his statement to the police, Stachowicz revealed that he had purchased gasoline and matches specifically to ignite a fire at Grothman’s office. He indicated that he had attempted to break a window to start a fire inside, but when that failed, he resorted to pouring gasoline on an electrical box and around the front of the building. He then lit a match and observed the fire he had started. His motivation claimed during questioning was his anger over the government’s actions against TikTok, particularly pointing out that Grothman had voted in favor of measures that led to the app’s potential ban.
According to Stachowicz, he believed that the federal government’s shutdown of TikTok infringed upon his constitutional rights. He mentioned having previously engaged in peaceful protests but expressed that he no longer found nonviolent approaches to be viable. The complaint states that he specifically aimed to disrupt and bring attention to his grievances by setting fire to the building. Stachowicz articulated his desire for the entire structure to burn down, although he clarified that he did not wish for anyone to be inside or for Grothman to be harmed.
The TikTok ban became prominent news over the weekend but was momentarily halted when then-President-elect Donald Trump announced he would allow more time for ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, to arrange a sale of its U.S. operations. Shortly after taking office, Trump issued an executive order instructing the attorney general not to enforce the ban for the following 75 days.
When asked for comments regarding the charges against Stachowicz, a spokesperson for Representative Grothman, Noelle Young, noted that Grothman would reach out to The Associated Press directly. However, as of early Wednesday afternoon, no contact had been made from the congressman to the AP.
