But no political motive was apparent in a seven-page probable cause affidavit filed by an FBI agent, and US Attorney Leah Foley declined to speculate on any motive, saying the investigation remained in its early stages.
Footage on Longwood Avenue allegedly captured the pair walking toward the medical school campus around 2:23 a.m. wearing distinctive clothing.
The trio tried but failed to get into another Wentworth dorm, footage shows, so they moved on to the nearby Massachusetts College of Art and Design campus, the FBI agent wrote.
Patterson had told multiple people about how he had set off a cherry bomb in the Harvard building, according to the FBI.
Earlier this year, the university said it would pay security expenses for Harvard Hillel, a Jewish campus organization, amid fears of antisemitic violence.
Although there were no casualties or significant property damage from the early Saturday morning explosion on the fourth floor of a research building in Boston’s Longwood neighborhood, it garnered national attention given the heightened political tensions of the present day, especially at universities. In recent years, protests have raged on college campuses in the region as left-leaning students push universities to sever ties with Israel over its actions in Gaza. Harvard has been embroiled in a policy battle with the Trump administration for months over perceived bias against conservatives.
However, an FBI agent’s seven-page probable cause affidavit revealed no political motivation, and US Attorney Leah Foley declined to speculate on any motive, stating that the investigation was still in its early phases.
While addressing a press conference Tuesday afternoon, Foley mentioned the terror that such events can evoke, referencing the 2013 Boston Marathon terrorist attack.
When the public finds out that an explosion was purposefully caused, anxiety levels naturally increase, according to Foley. “In my opinion, those levels might increase even more in the Boston region. “”.
According to authorities, there doesn’t seem to be any continuous risk to the general public.
While the case is pending, prosecutors did not take any action to hold either man. According to Magistrate Judge Jessica D. Hedges, both were released with the stipulation that they refrain from attending Harvard and refrain from carrying any potentially harmful weapons, such as fireworks. Both have retained private attorneys, and they are scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing in November. 24-.
According to Cardoza’s lawyer, Stefan Rozembersky, the accusations do not support a federal charge.
“This is just a straightforward case of property damage,” he stated.
The affidavit provided by FBI special agent Erin O’Brien detailed the events of Cardoza and Patterson’s October night. 31 into November’s early morning hours. 1. according to surveillance footage and witness accounts.
The two of them reached Wentworth Institute of Technology at approximately 8:00 p.m. m. meeting up with a number of individuals who were attending what the FBI agent refers to as “Halloween social activities.”. One of their companions informed police that they had parted ways as the evening wore on, claiming they were going to a party near Tufts University.
After two in the morning, they were captured on camera in Longwood. M. because O’Brien says so. Around 2:23 a.m., footage on Longwood Avenue purportedly showed the two individuals making their way toward the medical school campus. m. wearing unusual attire. She wrote that one was wearing a brown sweatshirt, tan pants, white Crocs, and a balaclava, while the other was wearing a dark jacket, a blue mask, and plaid pajama pants.
Approximately 2:24 a.m. M. they triggered what appeared to be Roman candle fireworks outside, according to the video.
Video from the Goldenson Building, located at 220 Longwood Avenue, was captured a short while later. depicts them leaping into a construction site after scaling a chain-link fence, the FBI agent wrote. Afterward, at 2:36 a.m. A. They can be seen ascending the building’s scaffolding and reaching the roof.
around 2:45 a.m. m. An explosion occurred on the fourth floor of the building, which houses a neurobiology research laboratory, according to the alert police received.
Soon after, they fled the building in different directions, as captured on camera. Based on additional surveillance footage, the FBI claims that the man wearing plaid pants, who was later identified as Cardoza, sat down on a bench, removed the pants, and disposed of them in a trash can.
starting at 3:09 in the morning. m. Patterson had made his way back to Wentworth and, based on additional video footage, was attempting to enter by running between buildings.
Following his successful attempt to board one and charge his phone, he reconnected with Cardoza and a third individual who is not facing federal charges for any of the explosion-related offenses.
According to video, the three attempted to enter another Wentworth dorm but were unsuccessful, so they proceeded to the Massachusetts College of Art and Design campus, which is nearby, the FBI agent wrote. According to the FBI, Patterson started to undress as well.
The two left town by that afternoon, this time to attend a party at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
As the explosion gained media attention, a number of Wentworth visitors and students informed police that they had information, and they promptly assisted in identifying the two. The FBI claims that Patterson told several people about how he detonated a cherry bomb in the Harvard building.
According to one witness, the couple “selected a building that looked abandoned.”. No Wentworth students were quoted in the affidavit explaining the reasons behind the pair’s actions.
“Thank you for your cooperation and patience,” said Docks, the FBI special agent in charge. “”.
“Without their assistance, we could not have reached this point today so rapidly,” he added. “”.
Since then, school officials have stated that the building and labs have not sustained any structural damage and that the fourth floor is now safe for regular use.
The school has spent years keeping an eye out for possible attackers.
Amid concerns of antisemitic violence, the university announced earlier this year that it would cover the security costs for Harvard Hillel, a Jewish campus organization.
In another case, a man from New Hampshire was found to have brought a hoax device to Harvard’s Science Center Plaza in Cambridge in 2023 and was given a three-year probationary sentence last year. After responding to a Craigslist ad, investigators discovered that he had unintentionally been recruited to do so in a scheme purportedly planned by someone else, who then called the university and demanded a sizable sum of cryptocurrency.
