Florida man arrested in 2022 pipe bomb explosion outside Palm Coast home

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Updated  May 10, 2024 6:14pm EDT
FOX 35 Orlando
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Florida man arrested in 2022 pipe bomb explosion

A Florida man was arrested on Tuesday, accused of crafting a pipe bomb that detonated outside a Palm Coast home in 2022.

ORLANDO, Fla. - A Florida man was arrested on Tuesday, accused of crafting a pipe bomb that detonated outside a Palm Coast home in 2022.

Jason Burns, 49, was taken into custody following a two-year collaborative investigation involving the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office’s Homeland Security section, the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), and the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office Bomb Squad.

A Florida man was arrested on Tuesday, accused of crafting a pipe bomb that detonated outside a Palm Coast home in 2022. Jason Burns, 49, was taken into custody following a two-year collaborative investigation. [Credit: Flagler County Sheriff's Offic …

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The explosion, which occurred on January 27, 2022, prompted two 911 calls reporting a loud blast and bright light outside a house on Poppy Lane. Responding deputies said they discovered remnants of an improvised explosive device (IED) near the home. No injuries were reported, but two homes sustained damage.

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Investigators identified Burns as a person of interest, which they said was due to prior hostility towards the victims. During a search of his residence, authorities said they found items consistent with materials used in constructing the bomb, including a drill bit with PVC residue and a matching sock found in the IED.

A Florida man was arrested on Tuesday, accused of crafting a pipe bomb that detonated outside a Palm Coast home in 2022. Jason Burns, 49, was taken into custody following a two-year collaborative investigation. [Credit: Flagler County Sheriff's Office]
A Florida man was arrested on Tuesday, accused of crafting a pipe bomb that detonated outside a Palm Coast home in 2022. Jason Burns, 49, was taken into custody following a two-year collaborative investigation. [Credit: Flagler County Sheriff's Office]
A Florida man was arrested on Tuesday, accused of crafting a pipe bomb that detonated outside a Palm Coast home in 2022. Jason Burns, 49, was taken into custody following a two-year collaborative investigation. [Credit: Flagler County Sheriff's Office]
A Florida man was arrested on Tuesday, accused of crafting a pipe bomb that detonated outside a Palm Coast home in 2022. Jason Burns, 49, was taken into custody following a two-year collaborative investigation. [Credit: Flagler County Sheriff's Office]
A Florida man was arrested on Tuesday, accused of crafting a pipe bomb that detonated outside a Palm Coast home in 2022. Jason Burns, 49, was taken into custody following a two-year collaborative investigation. [Credit: Flagler County Sheriff's Office]
A Florida man was arrested on Tuesday, accused of crafting a pipe bomb that detonated outside a Palm Coast home in 2022. Jason Burns, 49, was taken into custody following a two-year collaborative investigation. [Credit: Flagler County Sheriff's Office]
A Florida man was arrested on Tuesday, accused of crafting a pipe bomb that detonated outside a Palm Coast home in 2022. Jason Burns, 49, was taken into custody following a two-year collaborative investigation. [Credit: Flagler County Sheriff's Office]
A Florida man was arrested on Tuesday, accused of crafting a pipe bomb that detonated outside a Palm Coast home in 2022. Jason Burns, 49, was taken into custody following a two-year collaborative investigation. [Credit: Flagler County Sheriff's Office]

Despite initially denying involvement and claiming to be elsewhere at the time of the explosion, Burns was implicated by phone records and GPS data, according to an arrest affidavit. Subsequent DNA analysis confirmed Burns as the source of DNA recovered from the scene, authorities said, with a statistical likelihood of one in one trillion.

"In this case, the DNA match was like winning the lottery, only instead of a cash windfall, he got an arrest warrant," Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly said in a news release sent to FOX 35 News. "This investigation could not have been successful without the support of our partners at ATF and FDLE, who had been working with us from day one of this investigation, and help from the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office Bomb Squad."

In addition to charges related to the explosion, Burns faces probation violation charges stemming from a previous arrest for stalking his ex-wife. He is currently held at the Flagler County Jail on a $75,000 bond.