A University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee sophomore is facing felony charges in connection to two campus fires occurring over winter break.
Zhexuan Zhou, 20, is charged with felony arson and felony reckless endangerment for setting a fire in the Engineering, Math and Sciences building, according to a criminal complaint.
On Jan. 5, The Milwaukee Fire Department responded to a report of smoke on the first floor of EMS. Firefighters located the source in a room with a locked door.
Although the blaze was small, cost of cleanup and restoration of the building’s 13 smoke damaged floors is estimated up to $500,000.
Zhou is also facing a misdemeanor arson charge after setting fire to a trash can inside the Physics building on Dec. 22. The fire extinguished itself and caused minor damage.
A custodian reported a suspicious person in the Lubar School of Business building on Jan. 8. Police responded and took Zhou into custody.
Police identified Zhou as the arsonist using surveillance video. His bail is set at $10,000.