- Maybe he was angry about the ridiculous Pokémon card investment schemes.
Gotta blast ‘em all! Or that’s what a Maryland man seems to have attempted to do this summer.
Aberdeen, Maryland, has been plagued by mysterious nighttime explosions for about a month. Although they haven’t caused any significant damage, the booms and bangs have kept people up — and have understandably worried them.
But now, Aberdonians can once more sleep in peace. Maryland officials have arrested one Jeremiah Burnette under suspicion of being the Aberdeen Bomber.
And it’s all thanks to Pokémon cards.
The discovery of Pokémon cards at one of the bombing sites launched a chain reaction of realizations that eventually led the cops to Burnette. The 34-year-old Pokémon-obsessed bomber was arrested and confessed to his crimes.
Wonder how he’ll catch ‘em all from jail?
Who, What, Why?
Aberdeen’s troubles began in mid-May when the first explosion went off in the dead of the night. Several more followed over the past few weeks, waking up and scaring local residents.
Fortunately, no one was injured in any of the explosions. But in its own way, that just gave rise to more questions.
Who was setting off bombs that targeted seemingly nothing of value? What was the bomber’s goal?
Nobody seemed to have any answers. Even more strangely, the explosions seemed centered on the neighborhood surrounding the intersection of South Rogers and James Streets.
Then, finally, a breakthrough came.
The Card-filled Crater
In the wee hours of June 13, yet another explosion occurred near a wooded area in the South Rogers/James St area. Around 3:30 a.m., officers from the Aberdeen Police Department (APD) arrived at the scene, according to a statement from the Office of the Maryland State Fire Marshal.
Indeed, the cops found a crater the explosion had left behind near the tree line. And that crater was littered with evidence.
Only, none of the responding officers probably had expected to find this kind of evidence. The crater was littered with Pokémon cards.
Later, Deputy State Fire Marshals, agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFA), bomb technicians, and a K9 unit arrived at the scene. Together, they discovered even more Pokémon cards and their wrappers, in addition to “other evidence.”
‘Boom’
So, what did the Pokémon cards mean? Nobody knew — until one officer had a revelation.
They remembered that a few days earlier, they had arrested a man who had been carrying a stack of Pokémon cards on him. Checking police records gave them a name — Jeremiah E. Burnette of South Rogers Street.
Then, the cops had another stroke of luck. By complete coincidence, a local resident called to file a police report.
The person said they had gotten into an argument with Burnette a few days earlier. As the angry man had walked away, he had ended the conversation with one word: “Boom.”
That day, the caller had found a mysterious Pokémon card left on his home’s front steps. Concerned for their safety, they decided to call the police.
And it’s a good thing they did. Putting two and two — and some Pokémon cards — together, the cops began to think that they might have found the Aberdeen Bomber.
The Aerosmith Bomb
With the assistance of the Harford County Sheriff’s Office Special Response Team, APD officers acquired a search warrant for Burnette’s home. During the search, they discovered multiple packages of Pokémon cards.
While owning the cards is of course legal, they did link Burnette to the explosions. The cops placed Burnette under arrest.
During questioning, the man confessed to having set off the explosions over the past month. He had done so using homemade explosives known to federal authorities under the codename M-80.
These types of devices are essentially overpowered firecrackers. Although they’re not exceedingly powerful, they can cause significant hand, eye, and hearing injuries.
In a famous case of M-80 use, one of the explosives was thrown onto the stage during an Aerosmith concert in 1977. The explosion damaged singer Steven Tyler’s eye and guitarist Joe Perry’s hand.
As such, M-80s are federally banned.
Brunette didn’t give any particular motive for the bombings. Although the investigation is still ongoing, authorities have not found anything linking Burnette to known domestic or international dangerous groups.
Brunette has now been charged with two counts of possessing a destructive device and two counts of using a destructive device. He was jailed at Harford County Detention Center but was released after posting a $10,000 personal unsecured bond.
Here’s hoping he uses his out-of-jail to collect more Pokémon cards instead of making more explosives.
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