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Two Mass. men arrested in Harvard Medical School explosion
Federal authorities identified the pair as Logan David Patterson, 18, of Plymouth, and Dominick Frank Cardoza, 20, of Bourne.
Two Massachusetts men have been arrested after federal authorities alleged they ended a night of Halloween revelry by setting off an explosion at Harvard Medical School Saturday.
Logan David Patterson, 18, of Plymouth, and Dominick Frank Cardoza, 20, of Bourne, were taken into custody Tuesday morning without incident, FBI Boston Special Agent in Charge Ted E. Docks told reporters at a press conference.
U.S. Attorney Leah Foley said the explosive is believed to have been “a large commercial firework.” She alleged Patterson and Cardoza were caught on surveillance video and later identified by members of the public who recognized them in the images police shared.
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“Thanks to a number of principled individuals who did the right thing and called authorities when they recognized Patterson and Cardoza, investigators were able to quickly piece together surveillance videos, comb through evidence, and positively identify them as alleged perpetrators of the charged crime,” Foley said.
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She said it is still too early in the investigation to speculate about a possible motive, though she confirmed the pair reportedly visited several Boston-area colleges over the weekend.
“There appeared to be numerous parties ongoing on Friday,” Foley explained.
Patterson and Cardoza made their initial court appearances Tuesday afternoon and were released after federal prosecutors declined to seek detention, court records show. They face charges of conspiracy to damage, by means of an explosive, a building owned or operated by an institution receiving federal funding.
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“These are two kids, no record,” Stefan Rozembersky, an attorney for Cardoza, said via email.
“The federal court rests its jurisdiction here on the Federal funding Harvard receives, otherwise this is a property damage case in State court,” Rozembersky continued. “This matter has garnered a lot of attention, understandably because of the notable victim and political environment, but the behavior as alleged certainly does not appear directed at the US government.”
An attorney for Patterson did not return a request for comment Wednesday.
“Anxiety levels naturally rise when the public learns that an explosion was intentionally caused. I would say those levels may rise even higher in the Boston area,” Foley said during Tuesday’s press conference. “Luckily, our local police, campus police, State Police, and federal authorities responded immediately and worked collaboratively through the weekend to ensure that this incident was in fact isolated and to identify those who are alleged to have caused it.”
According to court documents, surveillance video showed the two masked suspects walking toward the HMS campus and lighting what appeared to be roman candle fireworks around 2:24 a.m. Patterson and Cardoza then allegedly climbed over a chain-link fence and scaled scaffolding to access the roof of the Goldenson Building on Longwood Avenue in Boston.
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Harvard University police responded to a fire alarm at Goldenson shortly before 3 a.m. An officer arrived to find two people fleeing the building on foot but was unable to stop them, university police said.
Emergency crews reportedly found smoke, burn marks, and debris in a hallway on the fourth floor, which houses a research laboratory for Harvard Medical School’s Department of Neurobiology. Foley said investigators determined the explosive had been detonated within a wooden locker in the research lab.
In a message to the HMS community Sunday, Harvard leaders emphasized no one was injured in the blast.
“The small section of the fourth-floor hallway where the explosion took place has been cleared and is fully operational,” Dean of the Faculty of Medicine George Q. Daley and Executive Dean for Administration Lisa M. Muto wrote. “There was no structural damage to the building, and all labs and equipment remain intact.”
The Boston Fire Department’s arson unit reported that the explosion appeared to be intentional, according to university police. Boston police swept the building for additional explosives but found none.
As word of the incident spread and news outlets picked up the story, at least four Wentworth Institute of Technology students and visitors came forward to identify the suspects as Patterson and Cardoza, according to court documents. One witness told authorities the pair visited Wentworth for Halloween festivities, and another said Patterson and Cardoza joined a group outing to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology but ultimately split off to visit Tufts University.
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According to Docks, Patterson and Cardoza boasted to friends about what they’d purportedly done; court documents allege the pair even showed someone a video of the explosion and explained how they accessed the Goldenson Building. A witness also told authorities he overheard Patterson and Cardoza say they chose a building that “looked abandoned.”
“There is no doubt what these men allegedly did, in conspiring to commit a deliberate and extremely dangerous act, could’ve resulted in casualties had the Goldenson Building been occupied at that time,” Docks said. “This explosive device had the potential to cause significant injury to anyone nearby.”
He said property damage was limited and no one was injured as a result of “sheer luck” and first responders’ quick thinking.
“But let me be clear: Setting off an explosive device inside a locker at an institution geared toward higher education is not some harmless college prank,” Docks warned. “It’s selfish, it’s short-sighted, and it’s a federal crime.”
Livestream via NBC10 Boston.
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