2nd man accused of causing explosion near polling place in Catasauqua, Pa., surrenders to police
The second man accused of causing an explosion near a polling place in Catasauqua, Pennsylvania, during Tuesday's primary election has turned himself in to state police.
Jack Pletz, 24, is in custody hours after investigators held a press conference alerting that they didn't know where he was, a spokesperson for the Lehigh County District Attorney's Office said.
Investigators say Jack Pletz and his father, Matthew, set off the blast near Salem United Church of Christ on Tuesday.
Matthew and Jack Pletz are facing several charges related to the explosion in Catasauqua on Tuesday outside the church, which serves as a polling place, around 9:15 a.m. Both are charged with weapons of mass destruction, risking catastrophe and related offenses.
Investigators said an explosive device was thrown out of a moving car toward the church on the 600 block of 3rd Street. Jack Pletz was identified as the driver and his father as a passenger in the truck. It's unclear who allegedly threw the device.
Aaron Rigo, who works at a funeral home across the street, said he saw the whole thing.
"He was here in the intersection," Rigo said. "He must have lit it, dropped it, took off. Boom. They went down and parked like nothing was wrong."
Police said no one was injured and the polling place stayed open. Roads were blocked for hours, and multiple state and federal agencies investigated the area.
According to the Lehigh County district attorney, investigators found 17 illegal homemade explosives in the 1998 Chevrolet pick-up truck the men were in when police say they set off the blast Tuesday morning and then drove off.
"First responders noticed remnants of an explosive device," District Attorney Gavin Holihan said.
Police arrested the father Tuesday evening and he's being held in Lehigh County Prison on $50,000 bail, Holihan said.
Neighbors said Tuesday wasn't the first time something like this has happened.
"When I said what happened, they said it's him, he's been doing this forever," Rigo said. "We can't get him caught. He keeps getting away with it."
