{"id":95044,"date":"2026-05-29T21:56:11","date_gmt":"2026-05-29T21:56:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/95044\/"},"modified":"2026-05-29T21:56:11","modified_gmt":"2026-05-29T21:56:11","slug":"jackass-inspired-arsonist-charged-in-new-berlin-waukesha-co-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/95044\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Jackass’ inspired arsonist charged in New Berlin | Waukesha Co. News"},"content":{"rendered":"

NEW BERLIN \u2014 A 19-year-old New Berlin man is accused of using Molotov cocktails to set fires at a city playground while filming videos allegedly inspired by the reality show \u201cJackass.\u201d<\/p>\n

Braddock R. Sherwood, 19, was charged Friday in Waukesha County Circuit Court with selling, possessing or manufacturing Molotov cocktails, arson of property other than a building, and felony criminal damage to property. If convicted, he faces more than 10 years in prison.<\/p>\n

A $15,000 surety bond was set and co-signed. Sherwood\u2019s next court appearance is scheduled for July 1.<\/p>\n

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Conditions of his bail includes being prohibited from having contact with Biwer Park, must maintain absolute sobriety, may not possess or consume alcohol, and may not use or possess controlled substances without a valid prescription, according to online court records.<\/p>\n

According to the criminal complaint, New Berlin police were dispatched at 4:40 a.m. Friday to investigate an arson incident at Biwer Park, 3495 S. Sandalwood Drive, after neighbors reported the playground was on fire.<\/p>\n

Officers extinguished the remaining flames and observed neighbors attempting to put out a fire in the playground area. Among those present was Sherwood, who allegedly ran back to his home across the street after hearing emergency sirens.<\/p>\n

The New Berlin Fire Department also responded and determined the internal temperature of a merry-go-round exceeded 150 degrees Fahrenheit. Investigators said the playground equipment was completely burned and melted apart, with damages estimated at more than $2,500.<\/p>\n

While officers collected evidence and interviewed witnesses, Sherwood allegedly returned to the park. He told officers he had been sleeping when the fire started and claimed he saw someone wearing dark clothing, checkered pajama pants and a blue T-shirt, according to the complaint.<\/p>\n

Witnesses living across from the park told police they were awakened by a loud noise, footsteps and the glow of flames coming through an open bedroom window. Ring camera footage from the area allegedly showed only Sherwood between 3 a.m. and 4:40 a.m.<\/p>\n

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Investigators said the footage showed Sherwood moving between the playground, basketball court and his home after each fire and explosion. He was allegedly seen filming and photographing the fires on his cellphone while wearing checkered pajama pants and a brown hoodie. When the fire grew larger, he was captured carrying a bucket of water in an apparent attempt to extinguish it. After removing the hoodie, he was seen wearing a blue T-shirt, according to the complaint.<\/p>\n

When confronted with the surveillance footage, Sherwood allegedly continued denying involvement, telling officers he tried to put out the fire and that two people dressed in black had run into nearby woods, according to the complaint said.<\/p>\n

Police reported detecting a strong odor of intoxicants. Sherwood allegedly told officers he had been drinking with his parents at about 2 a.m., according to the complaint said.<\/p>\n

Investigators recovered broken glass shards believed to be remnants of devices used to ignite the fires. The bottles included a juice container, a hoisin sauce bottle and a teriyaki sauce bottle. Sherwood\u2019s mother allegedly confirmed the items had previously been inside the family home, according to the complaint said.<\/p>\n

After Sherwood was arrested, officers found a torn piece of cloth matching material recovered near the fires, according to the complaint.<\/p>\n

Sherwood eventually admitted to starting the fires, investigators said. He told police he was on FaceTime with friends and wanted attention. He allegedly said he went into his garage and assembled Molotov cocktails by filling bottles with gasoline and inserting cloth wicks before carrying them across the street, according to the complaint.<\/p>\n

Sherwood told officers he allegedly lit one device and threw it at the merry-go-round, then ignited three others on the basketball court. He allegedly said he did not expect the fires to grow so large.<\/p>\n

Sherwood later allegedly admitted recording three videos of himself lighting and throwing the Molotov cocktails. He told investigators the footage was intended for a series of videos modeled after \u201cJackass\u201d that he planned to post on social media.<\/p>\n

A preliminary breath test administered after his arrest showed a blood-alcohol concentration of .130, according to the complaint.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NEW BERLIN \u2014 A 19-year-old New Berlin man is accused of using Molotov cocktails to set fires at…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":95045,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[99],"tags":[5168,112,49434,49532,49534,31664,190,49533,49435],"class_list":["post-95044","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-berlin","tag-arson","tag-berlin","tag-biwer-park","tag-braddock-r-sherwood","tag-braddock-sherwood","tag-free-article","tag-germany","tag-jackass","tag-molotov-cocktails"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@dk\/116660102012071888","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95044","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=95044"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95044\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/95045"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=95044"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=95044"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=95044"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}