Police discover suspect with chemical cache inside MSU's largest academic hall

A thirty-one-year-old man is facing multiple felony charges after Michigan State University police discovered him inside the campus's largest academic building with a cache of chemicals.

Xin Tong was charged on Wednesday with the malicious destruction of property and possessing substances to operate a meth lab.

The arrest followed a report of alleged trespassing at Wells Hall on the evening of Sunday. Officers discovered Tong in possession of multiple bags containing liquids later identified as hydrochloric acid, methanol, isopropyl alcohol, acetone, and butane.

MSU Police and Public Safety (DPPS) clarified that while the necessary precursors were present, a functional meth lab was never located within the building.

Campus Police Chief Mike Yankowski noted that while many of the items found are common household products, their combination poses a significant chemical risk.

Consequently, Wells Hall was evacuated and closed on Monday morning to allow the Office of Environmental Health and Safety to conduct rigorous testing and remediation.

Although final exams were scheduled to take place in the building, university officials have relocated all academic activities to ensure the safety of the community.

Tong, who has not been enrolled at the university since 2022, is also accused of intentionally damaging property within the hall between 10 April and 26 April.

He is currently being held at the Ingham County Jail on a $500,000 bond. Wells Hall is expected to remain closed through Friday, as cleaning crews and facilities staff continue to restore the impacted areas. Tong is scheduled for a pretrial hearing on 8 May.