TikTok ban arson at Grothman's office, man pleads no contest

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Caiden Stachowicz

FOND DU LAC, Wis. - The man accused of setting a fire at U.S. Rep. Glenn Grothman's office due to the short-lived TikTok ban earlier this year pleaded no contest to arson on Monday.

In Court:

Court records show 20-year-old Caiden Stachowicz pleaded no contest to arson, and two other counts – attempted burglary and misdemeanor criminal damage to property were dismissed. He is scheduled to be sentenced next year.

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Stachowicz had previously pleaded not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect, and the court ordered a psychiatric evaluation.

Fond du Lac fire

The backstory:

The Fond du Lac police and fire departments were called to Grothman's office, on Peters Avenue just north of Scott Street, around 1 a.m. on Jan. 19, 2025. The building was unoccupied at the time and no injuries were reported.

Fire damage at U.S. Rep. Glenn Grothman's office (January 2025)

Police later found Stachowicz nearby. A criminal complaint accused him of setting fire to Grothman's office because the congressman voted "yes" to require a sale of TikTok. Officials said Stachowicz admitted to starting the fire.

Prosecutors said Stachowicz believed a TikTok shutdown was against his rights, and that he'd held peaceful protests but that "peace isn't an option anymore" and that "he wished the whole building would have burned down."

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What they're saying:

After the fire, Grothman said:

"I think it's unusual he never called us first. His first way to send a message to his congressman was to light the building on fire. It was such a foolish decision by him – he’s only 19 years old. If he wouldn’t have done anything, TikTok would have been back on the air in a couple days."