Camilla Jessen
Defendants allegedly broke into Goldenson Building on Halloween night and detonated a large commercial firework in a fourth‑floor research lab.
Two Massachusetts men are facing federal charges after allegedly breaking into a Harvard Medical School (HMS) building on Halloween night and setting off a large commercial firework inside a research lab.
Logan David Patterson, 18, of Plymouth, and Dominick Frank Cardoza, 20, of Bourne, were arrested Thursday and charged with conspiracy to damage property by means of an explosive. Prosecutors say the pair targeted the Goldenson Building, which houses part of HMS’s Department of Neurobiology.
According to charging documents, surveillance footage shows the two walking toward the Longwood Avenue campus around 2:23 a.m. on Nov. 1, wearing dark clothing and face coverings.
They were seen lighting Roman candle-style fireworks, then climbing over a chain-link fence surrounding the building’s construction area. Footage shows the pair scaling scaffolding to reach the roof before entering the building.
Roughly 20 minutes later, at 2:45 a.m., a fire alarm was triggered by an explosion on the building’s fourth floor. Investigators determined that a large commercial firework had been detonated inside a wooden locker in the lab.
The suspects then allegedly explored the fifth floor and fled through a first-floor exit.
Investigation tracked suspects across campuses
The men were later spotted on surveillance video at nearby college campuses.
At 2:57 a.m., Cardoza was seen discarding his pants in a trash bin. Patterson was later seen charging his phone inside a Wentworth Institute of Technology dorm building before reuniting with Cardoza and a third individual.
The group was later tracked walking toward the Massachusetts College of Art and Design.
Authorities say both men were visiting Wentworth for Halloween-related social events.
The case remains under investigation. If convicted, Patterson and Cardoza each face up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. The U.S. Attorney’s Office emphasized that all defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
Federal and local agencies, including the FBI and Harvard University Police, assisted in the investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David M. Holcomb.
This article is made and published by Camilla Jessen, who may have used AI in the preparation
