WHITE PLAINS, New York (WABC) — An explosive device found in the doorway of an apartment building in White Plains set off a major emergency response, but authorities now believe it was the result of bad blood between neighbors.
One person was taken into custody and appeared in federal court on Tuesday afternoon.
Raymond Elders, 65, is facing a top charge of use of a weapon of mass destruction in connection to the two improvised explosive devices that went off before dawn Monday.
However, residents say they have been hearing explosions in the neighborhood for months.
Initially, some neighbors of an apartment building at 11 Odell Ave. thought the source of the two blasts was a Con Edison transformer.
But surveillance video from two weeks ago shows a man light and throw a device that explodes seconds later before he scampered away.
A woman who heard that explosion said she later noticed the apparently improvised explosive may have been booby-trapped.
“I came outside, you just see the smoke and that was it,” she said. “That evening I walked my dog and then i could see bits of fragments and they were like nails and stuff.”
Police say once device found in front of the three-story building was rendered safe.
Officials say no one was hurt and there was no damage to any buildings. Police say there is no longer a threat to the public.
Elders is facing additional charges of possession the materials capable of making those destructive devices.
A second person who was initially taken into custody is now being treated as a witness.
———-
* More Northern Suburbs news
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News
Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.
Copyright © 2026 WABC-TV. All Rights Reserved.
