BOSTON – Two Massachusetts men have been arrested and charged in connection with an alleged conspiracy to damage a building on Harvard Medical School’s (HMS) campus using a large commercial firework.
Surveillance video captured the defendants allegedly lighting what appeared to be roman candle fireworks at approximately 2:24 a.m.
Shortly thereafter, at approximately 3:23 a.m., Patterson could allegedly be seen talking on his cell phone.
It is alleged that at 3:49 a.m., after unsuccessfully attempting to enter an adjoining residential campus building, the three are seen walking toward the Massachusetts College of Art and Design campus.
There, surveillance footage allegedly captured Patterson, Cardoza and the third individual walking along Huntington Avenue.
BOSTON — Two men from Massachusetts have been detained and charged in relation to an alleged plot to use a big commercial firework to damage a building on the campus of Harvard Medical School (HMS).
Logan David Patterson, a Plymouth, Massachusetts resident, is eighteen. and Bourne, Massachusetts resident Dominick Frank Cardoza, age 20. are each accused of one count of conspiring to use explosives to destroy Harvard Medical School’s Goldenson Building. The defendants will appear in federal court in Boston later today after being detained this morning.
The charging documents state that at around 2:23 a.m. Me. November. On 1, 2025, surveillance cameras at Boston’s Huntington Avenue and Longwood Avenue caught two men, later identified as Patterson and Cardoza, approaching the HMS campus while donning dark clothing and face coverings. At around 2:24 a.m., surveillance footage purportedly showed the defendants setting off what looked to be Roman candle fireworks. “M.”.
The charging documents state that at around 2:33 a.m. Me. The defendants were allegedly observed scaling a chain-link fence to enter the Goldenson Building’s construction site and, a few minutes later, scaling scaffolding next to the structure to reach the roof. at around 2:45 a.m. Me. An explosion on the fourth floor of the Goldenson Building, which houses a research lab within HMS’s Department of Neurobiology, prompted campus police to sound the fire alarm. The alleged time frame is 2:45 to 2:50 a.m. Me. Security footage showed the defendants visiting the building’s fifth floor before leaving through an emergency exit on the first floor and running away in different directions.
Investigators discovered that an explosive detonated inside a wooden locker in the research lab on the fourth floor. It was thought to be a large, commercial firework. The explosive is still being analyzed.
At around 2:57 a.m., it is alleged. “M.”. Surveillance footage showed Cardoza sitting on a bench, taking off his pants, and throwing them in a trash can.
Additionally, it is claimed that starting at roughly 3:09 a.m. Me. Surveillance footage from the nearby Wentworth Institute of Technology campus showed Patterson sporadically running between buildings, trying to enter a residential campus building but getting let in by a bystander, and charging his phone next to an attendant’s desk inside the building. Not long after, at around 3:23 a.m. “M.”. According to reports, Patterson was seen using his cell phone.
Then, at about 3:40 a.m. The m. Surveillance footage purportedly captured Patterson leaving the building to meet up with Cardoza and a third person. The claim is that at 3:49 a.m. Me. The three are seen making their way toward the Massachusetts College of Art and Design campus following an unsuccessful attempt to enter a nearby residential campus building. Patterson, Cardoza, and the third person were purportedly caught on camera strolling down Huntington Avenue. Patterson is allegedly seen in the video stuffing his sweatpants into his shorts after taking off both his sweatshirt and his pants. According to reports, Cardoza is still sporting black sneakers and a dark hooded jacket along with boxer shorts.
The charging documents claim that witnesses claimed Patterson and Cardoza were at Wentworth College for social Halloween events.
The inquiry is still ongoing.
A maximum sentence of five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000 are associated with the charge of conspiracy to cause damage by means of fire or explosives. A federal district court judge uses the U.S. Constitution to determine sentences. The S. statutes and sentencing guidelines that control how a sentence is decided in a criminal case.
Attorney for the United States Leah B. Foley and Ted E. The announcement was made today by Denis Downing, the interim chief of the Harvard University Police Department, and Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Boston Division. The Boston, Bourne, and Plymouth Police Departments, along with the Massachusetts State Police, offered invaluable support. A helper U. In S. The case is being prosecuted by National Security Unit lawyer David M. Holcomb.
The charging documents’ details are accusations. Until they are proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law, the defendants are presumed innocent.
