The threatening calls prompted all gates at MacDill Air Force Base to close for approximately four hours on March 18 while on-base personnel sheltered in place.

TAMPA, Fla. — A St. Petersburg man was arrested by U.S. Marshals in connection to the threats that caused an hours-long lockdown at MacDill Air Force Base last week.

According to a criminal complaint, FBI special agents believe 35-year-old Jonathan Elder is behind two threatening phone calls made on March 18 that referenced a suspicious package found at MacDill two days prior.

The first call was made to an individual at 8:50 a.m. Investigators said the caller, believed to be Elder, left a voicemail stating:

“Did you enjoy your pipe bombs at the front gate of MacDill…oh…is there anything else I can do for you…(unintelligible)…that’s why I said that you entitled little f***ing brat, now I told you if you try to f*** with my meds again, I told you this last year, if you try to f*** with my meds, I will f***ing torture you, well you tried it again, so here you, you don’t learn, I will beat you in the face 10,000 times harder, you will get a pipe bomb that actually explodes in your f***ing face next time, f*** you pigs.”

According to the complaint, the person who received the call did not recognize the number and thought they had been called by mistake.

The second call was made at 9:11 a.m. to MacDill’s main number, then routed to the base’s 6th Medical Group. The caller, believed to be Elder, asked, “How did you like the surprise at the MacDill Visitor Center?” before yelling, “tick tick boom, it’s gonna be between your eyes,” the complaint says.

The call prompted all gates at MacDill Air Force Base to close for approximately four hours while on-base personnel sheltered in place. 

Investigators determined that the calls were made from the same phone number from a St. Pete assisted living facility.

Using data from Meta, the phone number was linked to a Facebook account for “Jon Elder,” the complaint says. FBI records also revealed that Elder called the FBI’s National Threat Operations Center on March 4, 2026, asking for a job.

At the time, Elder reportedly left the phone number in question as his contact number and his address as the assisted living facility’s address.

Investigators said they responded to the assisted living facility on the evening of March 18, where they took Elder into custody after he initially said he didn’t want to talk to law enforcement.

According to the criminal complaint, Elder admitted to being the voice on the voicemail and calling MacDill to ask if officials “enjoyed the pipe bomb at the front gate.”

He also stated, “head on, apply directly to the forehead,” which he described as “advertising” and “garbage,” the document adds.

Elder reportedly told investigators he had no grievance with MacDill and that he believes the CIA is a terrorist organization. He also said he discontinued some of his medications due to adverse side effects. 

Investigators said Elder denied ever making or researching weapons. He was evaluated for a Baker Act commitment by Pinellas County mental health staff, who determined that he met criteria for involuntary examination. Elder was then transported to a mental health provider.


Jonathan Elder criminal history

According to investigators, Elder was identified as a person of concern during a Threat Assessment in 2025. He was also a respondent of a Risk Protection Order, which recently expired.

The criminal complaint says Elder has “an extensive Baker Act history that dates back to 2014.” The conduct that led to those Baker Acts reportedly included threats to shoot others and build pipe bombs.

In the complaint, an FBI special agent said probable cause exists to believe Elder violated the law by “willfully making a threat or maliciously conveying false information, while knowing the same to be false, concerning an attempt or alleged attempt being made, or to be made, to kill, injure, or intimidate any individual by means of fire or an explosive.”