SANTA ANA, Calif. – The Orange County District Attorney’s Office has established an anonymous tip hotline and online reporting form to gather information regarding the May 21, 2026, hazardous materials incident at GKN Aerospace Transparency Systems, Inc. in Garden Grove which forced the evacuation of more than 50,000 Orange County residents as a chemical tank containing an extremely toxic chemical remains under threat of exploding.
Anyone with information related to the circumstances leading up to this incident, including but not limited to specific details of the release, information about the industrial operations of the facility, the quality and frequency of maintenance of the tanks and systems at issue, and any other relevant information at GKN Aerospace Transparency Systems, is encourage to call the Orange County District Attorney Anonymous Tip Hotline at 714-347-8714 or fill out an anonymous online form at www.ocdistrictattorney.gov.
Anonymous tips can also be emailed totipster@ocdistrictattorney.gov.
This information will assist law enforcement in investigating the origin of the event and Identify those responsible.
Hazmat experts, led by the Orange County Fire Authority, have been working to stop a 7,000 gallon chemical tank filled with methyl methacrylate, an extremely toxic chemical, from exploding and potentially igniting a large fireball at the Garden Grove plant.
Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency Saturday as the chemical tank remains under threat of exploding.
Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer has been at the unified incident command center monitoring the situation and working with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department to collect drone footage and close ups of the facility tanks and cooling system.
“This is an incredibly volatile situation with extraordinary efforts being made by first responders to prevent a potentially catastrophic disaster,” said Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer. “Given the very real risk to human life as a result of this event, it is crucial that anyone who has information about this incident or the industrial operations of GKN Aerospace Transparency Systems, Inc. come forward and report it so that it can be thoroughly investigated by law enforcement. We are continuing to monitor this situation minute by minute and we are forever grateful for the superhuman efforts by the emergency responders who are doing the impossible in order to try to avoid a mass casualty incident.”
* If you live or work in the area, follow evacuation orders and directions from emergency personnel.
* If you do not need to be in the area, please avoid the area until this situation has been resolved.
REPORT TIPS ON THIS INCIDENT ANONYMOUSLY TO THE ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S OFFICE BY CALLING 714-347-8714, BY EMAILINGTIPSTER@OCDISTRICTATTORNEY.GOV OR BY FILLING OUT THE ANONYMOUS TIP FORM at www.ocdistrictattorney.gov.