Alleged Westmoreland County lawn mower bomber also placed explosive under loaner vehicle, police say
James Sever, the man already accused of strapping a pipe bomb to his former landlord's lawn mower in Salem Township, is now charged with attempted homicide after state police say he built and attached another device to what he thought was his uncle's pickup truck.
This time, however, state police say Sever planted the explosive device underneath a pickup truck connected to a local car dealership. The truck was used as a loaner by C. Harper Chevrolet in Belle Vernon.
Police say the pipe bomb was powerful enough to kill whoever was behind the wheel and anyone nearby.
"I'm just thrilled no one got hurt," Trooper Stephen Limani said.
"We were appalled. You never think anyone is going to do something like that. It was upsetting to us from a business standpoint that we potentially put our customers in danger," said Jennifer Galla with C. Harper Chevrolet.
State police say two customers used that loaner during the time the bomb was attached, and a total of 16 people rode or drove the pickup before it fell off along the turnpike near Irwin.
The bomb squad responded and detonated the device, which they say was capable of killing everyone inside the truck and anyone nearby.
"We knew by looking at it that it was very consistent with the same manufacturing that was done on the device that exploded out on Route 22, where a man was going to cut grass, and he subsequently was the landlord and survived that explosion," trooper Limani explained.
Police say Sever had been planning to harm his dad and uncle with explosives for years, even testing one of the explosive devices on an abandoned car.
But when he was evicted from his rental property, Sever changed his plan and redirected one of those devices toward his landlord, David Martin.
Both bombs were placed on the same day: July 20.
"His course of conduct was always toward an individual, a specific person, so we don't have any reason to believe that there's any other pipe bombs or any other explosive devices that he was responsible for," Trooper Limani said.
Sixteen people, including families and children, rode in that pickup, not knowing a live bomb was strapped underneath.
Police say this could have been catastrophic.
"We have sixty of these loaner cars, and we give them to every customer who comes in for service. They're constantly going in and out of the shop. It's certainly alarming to know this could have ended a lot worse," Galla added.
Sever is facing numerous new charges, including aggravated assault, recklessly endangering another person, risking catastrophe and attempted homicide.