NJ Train Explosives: Was Mykyta Panasenko Working With Boston Bombing Suspects?

On April 15, 2013, two bombs exploded near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, killing three and injuring nearly 200. That same day, Mykyta Panasenko was charged for allegedly possessing explosives in his home, and previously for having them on his person aboard a NJ Transit commuter train.

Panasenko, 27, of Jersey City, N.J., was charged with the possession of the explosive devices. The two improvised explosive devices, classified by the U.S. military as "IEDs", reportedly consisted of Pyrodex, or black powder packed into a cylinder. Panasenko was found with two of the explosive devices, according to the Jersey Journal.

The week prior, on April 7, Mykyta Panasenko reportedly had explosives on his person while riding an outbound NJ Transit train on the Pascack Valley Line, bound for Suffern, N.Y., about 10 miles west of the Tappan Zee Bridge. Authorities were alerted to Panasenko after the NYPD and FBI reported their suspicions to the Jersey City Police Department Bomb Squad, while later arrived at Panasenko's home to search for the explosives.

Deputy Police Chief of the second-largest city in the Garden State, Peter Nalbach, said that authorities recovered "Materials that may have been used to make an explosive device." The governing FBI branch in nearby Newark, N.J. did not comment on the investigation.

Law enforcement officials released a statement assuring that there was "no indication" that Panasenko planned to detonate the explosives in his building or aboard the NJ Transit system. There is also no indication that he was associated with the Tsarnaev brothers suspected of bombing the Boston Marathon. Panasenko may face an estimated five years in prison if convicted.