The Orange County Criminal Lawyer Blog
The authorities are searching for a Pennsylvania man who is believed to have rigged his former landlord’s lawnmower with an explosive device out of anger after being evicted from his residence.
According to reports, on June 3, a 54-year-old man was evicted from his residence in Salem Township, and he was angry at the landlord for forcing him to leave. A week after he moved out, the man allegedly went back and made comments to the landlord that were construed as verbal threats. The authorities were notified, and a report was given to a responding Pennsylvania State trooper.
The landlord had not heard from his former tenant after the interaction on June 11, but an incident on July 20 caused him to believe the man tried to cause him harm. The property owner does his own yard work, and he had prepared his riding lawnmower for use. The machine was parked in the garage when he turned on the engine, and when he engaged the controls to move forward, he heard and felt what he described as an explosion from underneath the mower. The authorities went to the scene and, according to the police report, they discovered there was “metal shrapnel throughout the entire structure.” They also reported that at least one witness talked to a man who matched the description of the man who was evicted, and the authorities assumed that he tried to blow up the lawnmower.