California Man Arrested on Federal Threat Charge After Posting TikTok Video About Fireworks Near Federal Buildings

Trevon McDaniel, 19, of Elk Grove, California, was arrested this week on federal charges of making threats to damage or destroy buildings or property by means of fire or explosives, New York Post reported. McDaniel operated the TikTok account @the_wild_wolfspider and posted a video calling for an attack centered on the July Fourth holiday that would use fireworks against federal buildings and property in Sacramento, according to the criminal complaint cited by the outlet.

In the video, McDaniel wore a black superhero-style mask with giant red eyes and said: “I’m not really plotting or planning or telling anybody to do anything.

I’m just saying, for everyone in Sacramento, we know you love your fireworks. ” Federal officials identified McDaniel after reviewing data from the cellphone of Abraham Hermosillo Alvarez, the alleged ringleader of a separate plot to attack the UFC Freedom 250 event on the White House South Lawn on June 14. TikTok messages between Alvarez and the account ran from April 17 to June 7, 2026.

McDaniel was not part of the accused plotters’ Signal chat group but maintained direct communication with Alvarez, authorities told the New York Post. A search of McDaniel’s residence turned up a costume matching those in his videos, his cellphone, two mini-batons and a baton holster.

McDaniel denied being the masked person in the videos, but his wife told authorities that her husband operated the account.

He had been wearing the costume and calling himself the “wolfspider” for the previous six months, the complaint stated. McDaniel made his first court appearance on Monday. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.