This story was updated at 2 pm with information stating there is no longer a threat to public safety.
Authorities identified and charged the man they say hadpipe bomb-like devices at his homeafter an investigation led to the cancellation of the nearby South Plainfield Labor Day parade.
Thomas Kaiser, 55, of South Plainfield, was charged with two counts of possessing a destructive device, according to the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office.
Officials arrested him Monday morning after they found “over half a dozen” devices on his large property near the parade route, according to a senior law enforcement official with the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness. The FBI Newark office tweeted that the agency’s Joint Terrorism Task Force was tracking the situation involving “suspicious devices.”
Gov. Phil Murphy and first lady Tammy Murphy were supposed to attend the parade, which was set to start at 10 am, according to spokesman Dan Bryan. The parade and other festivities were abruptly cancelled by borough officials Monday morning.
The investigation began Sunday when a suspicious package was discovered at Donovan’s Reef, a bar in Sea Bright, Monmouth County, according to a news release from the prosecutor’s office.
That package led investigators to Kaiser’s home, where they say they found other explosive devices.
Michael Mancuso | NJ Advance Med
A sign on Hamilton Avenue in South Plainfield says that the Labor Day parade has been canceled.
Carlos Alvarado, who lives around the corner from Kaiser, said he saw several unmarked law enforcement vehicles arrive at Kaiser’s home around 10 PM Sunday.
He said he saw “at least eight ”law enforcement officers enter the house from the front and the side entrances. Alvarado said he was surprised to see such activity near his block.
”This is a quiet neighborhood,” he said.
There were about six of the devices, which were similar to pipe bombs, according to the Homeland Security official. They were not powerful enough to kill anyone, according to an official in the governor’s office. parade attendees were targets.
A woman who answered the phone at Kaiser’s home said she was not giving any interviews.
“This whole thing has been blown out of proportion,” she said. “It was fireworks. It was not a pipe bomb. We have newscasters and everything out front. I’m not talking any more. Goodbye. “
A man who identified himself as Kaiser’s younger brother said the same from the front lawn of the suspect’s home on West Crescent Parkway.
“It’s one firework,” he said. “It’s not a bomb.”
The senior Homeland Security official said the parade was cancelled out of an “abundance of precaution.”
Police took Kaiser to Sea Bright Police Department, and officials expect him to face additional charges.
Around 1: 30 Sunday, South Plainfield Mayor Matt Anesh announced there is no longer a threat to the public.
“Residents should feel free to go about their normal daily activities,” Anesh said. “The area around the (Police Athletic League) and community pool h ave been fully searched. ”
Officials ask anyone with information to contact Detective Daniel Chernavsky of the Sea Bright Police Department at 732 – 842 – 00 10, Detective Shawn Murphy of the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office at 732 – 803 – 5406 or South Plainfield Police Department at 908 – 755 – 0700.
NJ Advance Media staff writersChris FranklinandSpencer Kentcontributed to this report.
Cassidy Grom may be reached at[email protected]Follow her at @cassidygrom. Have a tip? Tell us.nj.com/tips.
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