A 24-year-old Madison man is facing a felony charge after police say he lit a firework and placed it on a shelf inside a Fitchburg grocery store, triggering an explosion that filled the aisle with smoke and prompted an evacuation. Investigators said the firework likely had the potential to inflict serious bodily harm had someone been near the blast.
The blast happened around 4:10 p.m. on September 18 inside the Pick 'n Save at 3010 Cahill Main, according to the City of Fitchburg. As reported by WKOW, the man lit the firework and set it on a store shelf before it went off, damaging the shelf and nearby products. The sound of the explosion and the smoke filling the aisle led to the evacuation of the store, according to WMTV15 News.
No people were in the aisle at the time of the explosion and no injuries were reported, per the same account from local outlets covering the arrest. Fitchburg police have said the incident was not an accident, and they have linked it directly to a social media trend, according to Spectrum News.
Investigators Traced the Suspect Through Store Video and License Plate Cameras
Investigators identified the suspect's car through security footage and a license plate reader camera, the report notes. That work led police to 24-year-old Niamihyah Bell of Madison, who police said was caught after allegedly participating in the social media challenge. Bell was arrested and taken to the Dane County Jail, and he now faces a felony charge of second-degree recklessly endangering safety.
The Dane County Sheriff's Office Hazardous Device Unit examined the firework and determined it likely possessed the potential to inflict serious bodily harm had a person been near the blast. Police said the suspect told investigators he lit the firework as part of a trending online social media challenge, a detail WKOW reported.
Local Officials Push Back on Turning Stores Into Stunt Sets
Fitchburg Capt. Andrew McCarthy said the firework had the potential to seriously hurt someone, and he encouraged businesses to review their security procedures in light of the incident. McCarthy also said content creators seek viewership and that something going viral does not mean it is harmless.
Public safety officers responded very quickly, and the Pick 'n Save building was evacuated after the firework incident, with the situation ultimately handled without injury. Julia Arrata-Fratta said she was grateful no one was hurt, and added that police found who caused the incident. She also said people are doing dangerous things to attract attention, a concern echoed by Mike Semmann, who said grocery stores and other public areas are not appropriate locations for stunts.
Grocery Chains Say They Train for the Unexpected
Semmann's comments framed grocery stores as workplaces rather than stages for stunts, noting that member grocery stores train for unexpected safety risks as a matter of course.
Court records were not immediately available detailing how the felony charge against Bell will proceed, and it remains unclear what platform or specific challenge police believe motivated the act. For now, the Fitchburg Police Department's message is straightforward: what might look like harmless content online carries very real risk once it plays out in a store.
