Father, Son Sentenced For Detonating Bomb, Injuring 1 In Somerset County

MANVILLE, NJ — A father and son were sentenced for detonating a homemade explosive device at Cooper Street Park in Manville on July 6, 2024, and injuring a Bridgewater man.

On Friday, Thomas Kaiser, 60, of South Plainfield, was sentenced to a six-year prison term and payment of around $38,000 in restitution.

He pleaded guilty on March 28 to second-degree causing or risking widespread injury or damage; fourth-degree aggravated assault by recklessly causing bodily injury with a deadly weapon; and third-degree criminal mischief.

Erich Kaiser, 29, of Marlboro, was sentenced to a three-year period of probation, conditioned upon a suspended term of 180 days in jail, and payment of around $38,000 in restitution.

He pleaded guilty on March 28, to charges of fourth-degree aggravated assault by recklessly causing bodily injury with a deadly weapon, and third-degree criminal mischief.

At about 8:16 p.m. on July 6, 2024, police and emergency medical personnel went to Cooper Street Park in Manville for a reported explosion that severely injured a 34-year-old Bridgewater man and caused damage to multiple homes and vehicles. Read More: Father, Son Arrested After Fireworks Explosion In Somerset County

The investigation found that Thomas Kaiser brought a homemade explosive device, essentially a metal tube containing explosive powder, to the area of Cooper Street Park, according to authorities.

Erich Kaiser placed the device in an empty area of the park and ignited the fuse, said authorities.

The explosion caused multiple shards of the metal tube to fly off in various directions. One shard hit a 34-year-old Bridgewater man, who suffered lower torso injuries. He was treated on scene and then airlifted to a New Brunswick Trauma Hospital.

Other shards pierced through the outside and inside walls of multiple homes and caused damage to vehicles.

The investigation was conducted by the Manville Borough Police Department, the New Jersey State Police Bomb Squad, and the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

When ignited, the device was not able to contain the blast pressure, which resulted in the device fragmenting into multiple projectiles.

Prosecutor John McDonald expressed his most sincere gratitude to all first responders and civilians for their life-saving efforts, including but not limited to: Manville Police Officers Christopher Ciempola, Richard Ozielbo, and Joseph Green; emergency medical personnel from Robert Wood Johnson BLS and ALS; New Jersey State Police medevac helicopter personnel; and emergency medical personnel at Robert Wood Johnson Hospital in New Brunswick.

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