Boston, MA — Two young men have been arrested and charged after an early-morning explosion inside a Harvard Medical School laboratory building last week, federal authorities said Tuesday.
According to the FBI Boston Field Office, Logan David Patterson, 18, and Dominick Frank Cardoza, 20, were taken into custody early Tuesday and each charged with one count of conspiracy to damage, by means of an explosive.
The explosion occurred shortly before 3 a.m. inside the Goldenson Building, which houses research labs for Harvard’s Department of Neurobiology. No one was injured, but officials said the blast could have caused serious harm if the building had been occupied.
“This was not some harmless college prank. It’s a federal crime,” said FBI Boston Special Agent in Charge Ted Docks, emphasizing that the pair “conspired to commit an extremely dangerous act.”
Federal prosecutors said the explosive was believed to be a Roman candle firework that detonated inside a wooden locker in a research lab.
Neither Patterson nor Cardoza are Harvard students. Prosecutors said the two had been visiting Wentworth Institute of Technology for Halloween parties that night.
Surveillance video allegedly shows the men lighting fireworks near the medical school before climbing scaffolding to access the roof of the Goldenson Building. Moments later, a fire alarm sounded as the device exploded inside.
After fleeing the scene, Cardoza was reportedly seen on camera removing his pants and discarding them in a garbage can — where investigators later recovered them, the FBI said.
According to U.S. Attorney Leah Belaire Foley, members of the public identified the suspects after recognizing them from surveillance images. “These two men allegedly boasted about what they did to their friends,” said Agent Docks.
Authorities said there is no ongoing threat to the university or to the public. The investigation remains active, and additional charges could be filed as evidence is reviewed.
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