Man in custody in Home Depot pipe bomb incident

ELMONT, N.Y.

The suspect, a 50-year-old Deer Park man, will be arraigned later Thursday in federal court in Central Islip.

The improvised explosive device was found at the Home Depot on Monday, October 15.

Suffolk County police received a 911 call just after 4 p.m. reporting the suspicious package at the store, located at 839 New York Avenue. Management evacuated the store, and the Suffolk County Bomb Squad determined the device was real and destroyed it.

There were approximately 50 people in the store at the time, including employees and customers. No other stores or nearby homes were evacuated.

Sources say a note was sent to the Home Depot store demanding $2 million in cash or else more pipe bombs would be left at other stores on Black Friday. It's not clear if the note or the pipe bomb were found first.

Home Depot spokesman Stephen Holmes released a statement, saying "We are cooperating with authorities on their investigation. The safety of our customers and associates is certainly of the utmost importance to us."

---

Get Eyewitness News Delivered

Facebook | Twitter | Newsletters | Text Alerts

Copyright © 2024 WABC-TV. All Rights Reserved.