CATASAUQUA, Pa. – Two men are facing charges after an explosive device was thrown out of a vehicle near a polling place in Catasauqua.
Matthew Pletz, 56, and Jack Pletz, 24, who live at the same home in Catasauqua, face multiple charges, including unlawful possession and manufacture of weapons of mass destruction and risking catastrophe, according to court paperwork.
According to an affidavit of probable cause filed against Jack and Matthew Pletz, authorities found 17 homemade, illegal explosive devices and one plastic encased, explosive destructive device inside a pickup truck the two men were in when the incident happened.
An explosive device went off near Salem United Church of Christ on Third Street Tuesday morning. State Police say this all happened while the church was operating as a polling place.
WFMZ-TV | Jenny McCain
State Police say around 9:15 a.m. Tuesday, the explosive device was thrown from a moving vehicle outside of Salem United Church of Christ on Third Street. The device then went off about half a block away.
No one was injured.
According to court paperwork, the pickup truck was seen at the intersection of Third Street and Walnut Street around 9:10 a.m. before starting to head north.
At about the same time, a loud noise indicative of an explosion was heard in the area, state police said in the court paperwork.
A neighbor identified the pickup truck driver as Jack Pletz, authorities said in court documents.
Another resident told police she saw the pickup truck parked on Third Street after she went out of her house after hearing the explosion, state police said in the affidavit of probable cause. She said she also saw a man she identified as Jack Pletz get out through the driver’s-side door and a man, identified as Matthew Pletz, get out of the front passenger door, state police said in court documents.
State Police said they interviewed a driver who heard a loud bang after seeing the pickup truck drive north through the intersection of Third Street and Walnut Street.
State Police stated they believed it to be an isolated incident. The polling place remained open to voters on the side entrance, while road closures were in place for investigators.
Troopers say nothing was found by investigators to link the blast to the polling place, but the local Judge of Elections says the active scene limited access to nearby and handicap parking.