CATASAUQUA, P.A. (KYW Newsradio) — A father and son are in custody on charges they exploded a bomb near a polling place in Lehigh County on Tuesday.
Authorities said 56-year-old Matthew Pletz and his son, 24-year-old Jack Pletz of Catasauqua, threw a homemade bomb from their pickup half a block from a church being used as a polling place on Pennsylvania’s Primary Day. No one was injured and voting was not disrupted.
Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin Holihan said at a Thursday press conference that witnesses and surveillance video led police to the Pletz home, where a green Chevy pickup was searched.
"Investigators found 17 homemade illegal M-type explosive devices similar to the remnants which were found at the scene," he said.
Matthew Pletz was arrested at the home. Jack Pletz turned himself into Pennsylvania State Police on Thursday. Holihan said there was no evidence the bomb was connected to the polling place.
“While we don’t know the motivation, and we don’t speculate on the motivation, the facts are very concerning,” he said.
Both father and son face conspiracy charges.
