After loud booms, authorities say they found at least 25 explosive devices in NY man’s apartment
Reports of loud bangs in a suburban New York neighborhood this week led authorities to go to an apartment where a man was storing more than two dozen improvised explosive devices, federal prosecutors said.
Raymond Elders had a “bluish-black chemical residue” on his hands and was holding a lighter when police encountered him inside his apartment early Monday in White Plains, according to a criminal complaint.
Elders, 65, faces charges including use of a weapon of mass destruction, manufacturing destructive devices and possession of such devices and explosives after felony convictions.
He made his first court appearance Tuesday and a judge ordered him to remain in custody, noting he was a potential flight risk and a danger to the community.
Sungso Lee, a federal public defender representing seniors, did not immediately respond Wednesday to an email seeking comment.
Neighbors called police after hearing loud explosions, with one saying she had been hearing such noises in the neighborhood for several weeks, according to the document.
When authorities arrived, a witness directed a police officer to the building where Elders lives, and the officer noticed a “pungent, burning smell” then spotted what he thought was a pipe bomb on the entrance steps, according to prosecutors.
Inside they found Elders and another person. A search of the apartment ultimately led to the discovery of at least 25 improvised explosive devices, according to the complaint.
Prosecutors said surveillance video from earlier this month also showed a man believed to be an elder standing on a sidewalk on his street, holding what appeared to be an explosive device, which he then lit and threw into the street before fleeing on foot. An explosion is then heard on the images a few seconds later.
