Two Massachusetts men were arrested for an explosion that was “believed to have been a large, commercial firework” lit inside a Harvard University building early Saturday morning.
The two suspects, Logan D. Patterson, 18, and Dominick F. Cardoza, 20, each face a charge of conspiracy to damage by fire or explosive, which carries a maximum five-year federal prison sentence, according to the Massachusetts U.S. Attorney’s office.
The pair made their first appearance in federal court on Tuesday. Local news station WCVB reports that the men were ordered to stay away from Harvard’s campus and banned from handling firearms and fireworks.
Patterson and Cardoza were reportedly in Boston attending “Halloween social activities” at nearby Wentworth Institute of Technology, according to an FBI affidavit.
That same affidavit states that Patterson and Cardoza were allegedly spotted by security cameras as they walked toward Harvard’s Medical Campus at approximately 2:23 a.m.
The report states that one suspect was donning “a blue/gray balaclava; a distinctive brown sweatshirt; tan sweatpants; and white Crocs,” while the other wore “a blue mask; a dark hooded jacket; dark plaid pajama pants, and black sneakers.”
About one minute later, the security footage showed that the suspects in the footage lit “what appear to be roman candle fireworks.”
The pair then scaled a chain-link fence into a construction area outside Harvard’s Goldenson Building, which houses laboratories focused on brain research, the affidavit continues.
Then Patterson, from Plymouth, and Cardoza, from Bourne, allegedly used scaffolding to reach the building’s roof and entered the fourth floor where the fireworks were lit, according to the criminal complaint.
Authorities said the suspects were captured by surveillance cameras back at Wentworth’s campus just after 3 a.m., running between buildings, before eventually making their way to MassArt’s campus, where they attempted to dispose of their clothing.
Cardoza allegedly was just wearing boxers after getting rid of some of his outer layers of clothing, according to the affidavit.
Harvard officials expressed relief that the situation was contained quickly and emphasized that the campus remains secure and thanked law enforcement for “the immediacy and urgency of their response and seamless coordination.”
The explosion resulted in minimal damage and no injuries, feds say.
The blast comes amid a turbulent year for Harvard staff and students, who’ve found themselves at the forefront of the MAGA administration’s ongoing overhaul of higher education.
University representatives have spent several months negotiating a substantive financial agreement aimed at reinstating full federal support for the school and resolving its continuing legal disputes with the White House.
“Setting off an explosive device inside a locker at an institution geared toward higher education is not some harmless college prank,” said FBI Boston Special Agent in Charge Ted Docks at a news conference. “It’s selfish, it’s short-sighted, and it’s a federal crime.”
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