Father and son in custody after Election Day explosion near Catasauqua polling place

ALLENTOWN, Pa. — A 24-year-old Catasauqua man wanted in connection with an Election Day explosion near a church being used as a polling place surrendered to Pennsylvania State Police on Thursday afternoon, just hours after the Lehigh County district attorney publicly urged him to turn himself in.

Jack Pletz was being arraigned Thursday evening, the Lehigh County District Attorney’s Office said in a statement. He and his father, 56-year-old Matthew David Pletz, face felony weapons charges in connection with a blast Tuesday morning near the Salem United Church of Christ in Catasauqua, where voters were casting ballots in the primary election.

“A few hours after a news conference, we were notified that Jack Pletz surrendered to Pennsylvania State Police and is in the process of being arraigned,” the district attorney’s office said. “We thank the public, media and law enforcement for their assistance in this investigation that led to his arrest.”

The surrender came after District Attorney Gavin Holihan held a 1 p.m. news conference Thursday, announcing charges against both men and asking the public for help locating the younger Pletz. Holihan had closed the news conference with a direct appeal.

“From our position, it’s always safer and easier when you turn yourself in,” Holihan said. “That’s the message for Jack.”

The blast occurred at about 9:15 a.m. Tuesday near the church at 615 Third St., where voters were casting ballots in the primary election for state and federal offices. No one was injured, and voting continued without interruption, Holihan said.

Holihan said investigators have found no evidence the polling place was the target.

“At this point, no information exists to cause the investigators to believe that the incident is related to the polling location,” he said.

Both men are charged with felony counts of conspiracy to commit unlawful possession or manufacture of weapons of mass destruction and conspiracy to commit risking a catastrophe, along with misdemeanor counts of conspiracy to carry explosives on conveyances, conspiracy to make offensive weapons and conspiracy to possess prohibited offensive weapons.

Matthew Pletz was arrested the evening of May 19 and is being held in Lehigh County Jail on $50,000 bail. He was present when law enforcement arrived at the Pletz home, Holihan said. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for 10:45 a.m., May 26, before Magisterial District Judge Michael D’Amore.

State police responded to the area after a 911 call reporting an explosion, according to investigators. First responders found the remnants of a device — a red tubular cardboard fragment with melted red end caps — at the intersection of Walnut and Third streets. The device was consistent with an “M-type” explosive, the district attorney’s office said.

M-type devices, such as the M-80, were originally developed as military training simulators to mimic the sounds of artillery and gunfire. They have been banned for consumer sale and possession in the United States since 1966 because they contain far more flash powder than the 50-milligram limit allowed in legal consumer fireworks.

The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives classifies them as illegal explosive devices, and possession by unlicensed individuals is a federal crime. Holihan said the devices recovered in this case are not sold at retail.

Surveillance video from a nearby location showed a green 1998 Chevrolet pickup truck heading north on Third Street, Holihan said. The truck stopped at the intersection, its engine revved, and it continued north. Seconds later, witnesses heard the explosion.

The truck was later found parked at a home in the 200 block of Pine Street, where both men lived, just a few blocks from the blast site. Investigators determined that Matthew Pletz was in the passenger seat of the truck at the time of the explosion. Several witnesses identified both men by name, Holihan said.

A search warrant served on the truck turned up 17 additional homemade M-type explosive devices and one plastic-encased explosive device filler, the district attorney’s office said. A separate search of the Pletz home did not turn up any similar explosive devices, though investigators did recover raw materials during the broader investigation.

Holihan declined at the news conference to elaborate on a reference in the criminal complaint to an additional device described as more destructive than the M-type explosives.

“I haven’t seen it myself and I don’t want to speculate on it,” he said.

Holihan also said investigators have not determined a motive.

“At this point, we don’t have any insight into the motivation,” he said. “We’re not going to speculate on it.”

Before the surrender was announced, Holihan said the evidence showed Jack Pletz had access to homemade explosives powerful enough to cause serious bodily injury, and he urged the public not to approach him.

Holihan emphasized that local, county, state and federal agencies coordinated throughout the investigation, including with Lehigh County administration and election officials, to ensure voting was not disrupted. Polling hours at the church were not extended.

More than 10 agencies assisted in the investigation, Holihan said, including the ATF, the Pennsylvania State Police Hazardous Devices and Explosives Section and the Allentown Police Department Bomb Squad.

The case is being investigated by state Troopers Ryan Ziegler and Matthew Brennan and will be prosecuted by Chief Deputy District Attorney Sara A. Moyer.

The charges are accusations, and both defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.