Explosive Device Detonates in Cupcake Vending Machine in Syracuse, NY
Greta Stuckey
syracuse.com
(TNS)
Syracuse, N.Y. — A man has been charged in connection with an explosion Friday afternoon that rocked a multi-tenant office building off James Street in Syracuse.
Bay E. Rosario, 30, was arrested Friday by Syracuse police, according to Onondaga County jail records. He was charged with first-degree arson and multiple other crimes.
Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick Saturday confirmed Rosario’s arrest was made in connection with an explosive device placed inside the vending machine. He said the investigation remains active and ongoing.
Syracuse police declined Saturday to confirm an arrest had been made in the case.
The explosion happened around 1:42 p.m. in the lobby of the building at 404 Oak St., prompting a massive response from Syracuse police and fire crews. A bomb squad, crime scene unit and mobile command center were dispatched, along with more than 10 police vehicles and multiple fire trucks.
Authorities previously said the blast caused significant damage to a vending machine in the lobby.
Kadesha Carter, 31, owner of Cupcakes R Me, told syracuse.com | The Post-Standard on Friday at the scene that she had been informed an explosive device was placed inside her pink vending machine, which sold cupcakes and other baked goods. Carter said she was interviewed by police and later shared photos online showing the destroyed machine.
In a Facebook post late Friday, Carter said she was previously in a relationship with Rosario but had not seen or spoken to him in nine months. After they separated, she alleged, he damaged her property — smashing her car windows, slashing her tires and breaking her televisions — before the vending machine explosion.
A 911 caller Friday afternoon reported seeing a man dressed in black place something inside the vending machine and run from the building before the explosion, according to Onondaga County 911 Center dispatches.
Witnesses inside the building described hearing a loud “boom” that shook the structure and triggered alarms. Gavy Reyes, 17, who works on the third floor, said the entire building shook.
Firefighters evacuated the building as a precaution. No injuries were reported, and there was no significant fire or smoke damage beyond the lobby area.
In addition to arson, Rosario was charged with resisting arrest, third-degree fleeing an officer, tampering with physical evidence, criminal possession of a firearm, second- and third-degree criminal possession of a weapon, and first-degree criminal mischief, according to arrest records.
He is being held in the Onondaga County Justice Center jail on no bond, according to jail records.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Syracuse Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Division at (315) 442-5222.
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