Mykyta Panasenko, NJ Student, Arrested for Explosives on Train

Mykyta Panasenko, a Ukrainian Rutgers student, was arrested and charged carrying explosive materials and manufacturing improvised explosives last week in New Jersey, it was reported Friday.
Mykyta Panasenko, NJ Student, Arrested for Explosives on Train
Jack Phillips
Updated:

Mykyta Panasenko, a Ukrainian Rutgers student, was arrested and charged carrying explosive materials and manufacturing improvised explosives last week in New Jersey, it was reported Friday.

Panasenko, of Jersey City, was apprehended at a Hoboken train station with two homemade explosives, reported NJ.com, more than a week before the Boston Marathon bombing.

The 27-year-old was on board a train to Suffern, New York, when police found he had explosives with him.

He was charged with recklessly creating widespread risk or injury by constructing explosive devices, the website reported.

A criminal complaint said that he was charged with possessing “two destructive devices, specifically improvised explosive devices (IEDs) constructed from a cylinder containing Pyrodex (black powder).”

However, investigators said they found no completed bombs.

“There is no indication at this point of the investigation that [Panasenko] intended to detonate a device in his building or on the transit system,” Jersey City police said in a release, according to the New York Daily News.

Panasenko told the News that they were not bombs but fireworks. “They were fireworks,” he said, and added that “obviously, it was a bad idea.”

He was released on his own recognizance, according to the paper.

According to his Facebook account, Panasenko is originally from Kyiv, Ukraine.

Jack Phillips
Jack Phillips
Breaking News Reporter
Jack Phillips is a breaking news reporter who covers a range of topics, including politics, U.S., and health news. A father of two, Jack grew up in California's Central Valley. Follow him on X: https://twitter.com/jackphillips5
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