A man was charged on Monday for allegedly causing a Plum house explosion in 2022. Jacob Rabb was charged with several counts of criminal attempted homicide, aggravated arson, and endangering persons, among other crimes. According to a criminal complaint, Rabb and Laura Petty, along with their three young sons, were inside their Hialeah Drive home when it exploded the night of April 22, 2022. The parents and the two younger kids, six and two at the time, escaped. Their 11-year-old son was playing video games in the basement and managed to escape through the window, according to the complaint. He suffered from first-degree burns. Using Encoder Receiver Transmitter (ERT) data from Peoples Gas, police found “extremely high gas consumption” was recorded at the residence on three different days in the month of the explosion. The complaint later states that in May 2023, Petty filed a Protection from Abuse order against Rabb, who reportedly went missing temporarily and made suicidal statements after their breakup in December 2022. Petty told police she found two handwritten notes in her kitchen cabinet. One read in part, “If I can’t have her no one will or my kids…” The other note said, “P.S. I did blow up the house.”A few weeks later, in June, police said Rabb violated the PFA and threatened Petty with a knife. Based on findings from the investigation, police believe Rabb manually disconnected the dryer’s gas connection at the house on three separate occasions, including the day of the explosion. “It’s unfortunate to hear that in your neighborhood. It’s a pretty nice neighborhood around here, all American, kids are out here running and playing, and then you hear about something so bad. It’s just ugly,” said Akil Washington.Washington lives a few doors down from where the explosion happened. He told Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 Reporter Jordan Cioppa that he ran into the home to help get the family out. “We could hear the young lady hollering and screaming. Somehow, we found that she was in there. We ended up trying to rip that fence down to help her get out. So, we were right in the flames,” Washington said. He called the latest development “unbelievable.”The now vacant lot is for sale.

PLUM, Pa. —

A man was charged on Monday for allegedly causing a Plum house explosion in 2022.

Jacob Rabb was charged with several counts of criminal attempted homicide, aggravated arson, and endangering persons, among other crimes.

According to a criminal complaint, Rabb and Laura Petty, along with their three young sons, were inside their Hialeah Drive home when it exploded the night of April 22, 2022.

The parents and the two younger kids, six and two at the time, escaped. Their 11-year-old son was playing video games in the basement and managed to escape through the window, according to the complaint. He suffered from first-degree burns.

Using Encoder Receiver Transmitter (ERT) data from Peoples Gas, police found “extremely high gas consumption” was recorded at the residence on three different days in the month of the explosion.

The complaint later states that in May 2023, Petty filed a Protection from Abuse order against Rabb, who reportedly went missing temporarily and made suicidal statements after their breakup in December 2022.

Petty told police she found two handwritten notes in her kitchen cabinet. One read in part, “If I can’t have her no one will or my kids…” The other note said, “P.S. I did blow up the house.”

A few weeks later, in June, police said Rabb violated the PFA and threatened Petty with a knife.

Based on findings from the investigation, police believe Rabb manually disconnected the dryer’s gas connection at the house on three separate occasions, including the day of the explosion.

“It’s unfortunate to hear that in your neighborhood. It’s a pretty nice neighborhood around here, all American, kids are out here running and playing, and then you hear about something so bad. It’s just ugly,” said Akil Washington.

Washington lives a few doors down from where the explosion happened. He told Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 Reporter Jordan Cioppa that he ran into the home to help get the family out.

“We could hear the young lady hollering and screaming. Somehow, we found that she was in there. We ended up trying to rip that fence down to help her get out. So, we were right in the flames,” Washington said.

He called the latest development “unbelievable.”

The now vacant lot is for sale.