Two men have been arrested after officials claim they took deliberate preparations to produce an explosion at Harvard Medical School.
Logan D. Patterson, 18, of Bourne, and Dominick F. Cardoza, 20, of Plymouth, were identified as suspects in a news release issued on Tuesday, November 4.
They allegedly exploded a “large commercial firework” to start the explosion at the Goldenson Building around 2:25 a.m. local time, according to the US Attorney’s Office. The Harvard Police Department published footage of two people in the building wearing facial covers.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Patterson and Cardoza “were allegedly seen climbing over a chain-link fence into a construction area surrounding” the building before scaling scaffolding alongside it to reach the roof.
Each suspect is charged with one count of conspiracy to cause harm with fire or explosives.
In a post to X on Tuesday morning, FBI Boston announced the arrests in collaboration with the FBI Boston Joint Terrorism Task Force and the Harvard University Police Department.
Ted E. Docks, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Boston Division, denounced the explosion in a statement posted on social media.
“Lighting an explosive device in a school locker is not a harmless college joke. “It’s selfish, short-sighted, and a federal crime,” he said.
“Today’s arrests by FBI Boston’s Joint Terrorism Task Force should be a warning to others that if you allegedly use an explosive to maliciously damage someone else’s property you should not be surprised when the FBI and our partners roll up to your door and take you into custody,” he added.
PEOPLE could not immediately reach the FBI’s Boston field office for comment.
“I couldn’t believe how loud it was,” one person who was there told ABC News.
Another participant told the news site, “It would be terrible if somebody was wounded. I cannot even imagine.”
Campus security reportedly tried to apprehend the two males before they fled the scene.
The offenders were apprehended when they were overheard gloating about their purported crimes.
“These two men allegedly boasted about what they did to their friends,” Docks told ABC News.
According to The Harvard Crimson, Patterson and Cardoza were also in the vicinity for Halloween parties on Friday evening, Oct. 31.
The Boston Fire Department’s Arson Unit determined that the explosion was intentional; however, no explosives were recovered at the scene.
The suspects appeared in federal court in Boston on Tuesday afternoon, and their preliminary hearing is scheduled for November 24, according to Fox News.
Both face up to five years in jail, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000.
