Two Plead Guilty to Causing Explosion in HMS Building

Two men accused of detonating an explosion inside of a Harvard Medical School building last fall pleaded guilty to federal charges on Friday.

The men — 18-year-old Logan D. Patterson and 21-year-old Dominick F. Cardoza — both pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to damage a building with an explosive, a charge that can result in up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The charges stem from a November explosion on the fourth floor of Goldenson Hall, which houses HMS lab and office space. The Harvard University Police Department responded to reports of an explosion at around 3 a.m. on Nov. 1, and later released surveillance photos of two suspects fleeing the scene.

The explosion drew a significant response from local and national emergency services alike — including HUPD, the Boston Police and Fire Departments, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. No injuries were reported, but HMS affiliates were instructed to stay away from campus for the day after.

Three days later, Patterson and Cardoza were identified by members of the public from the photos released by HUPD, and then arrested by the FBI. The two men were visiting the Wentworth Institute of Technology — a ten-minute walk from Goldenson — for Halloween, according to an affidavit filed by FBI special agent Erin O’Brien.

Kevin J. Reddington, Patterson’s lawyer, wrote in a statement that his client has accepted responsibility.

“These young men are good kids who made a poor decision thinking it would be funny. They realize their mistake and have accepted responsibility,” he wrote. “The plea agreement is as low a level as can be obtained and we are hoping for a non-incarceration sentence.”

An attorney for Cardoza did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The pair jumped a chain link fence and climbed scaffolding to access Goldenson through the roof just after 2:30 a.m., according to court documents. They then set off a Roman candle firework in a filing cabinet and quickly exited from the first floor, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

No structural damage to the building was reported and only a small section of the hallway was impacted by the explosion, according to a November email sent to HMS affiliates from HMS Dean George Q. Daley ’82 and Lisa M. Muto, the Medical School’s executive dean for administration.

Security footage captured Cardoza and Patterson changing out of the clothes they wore while setting off the firework, according to the affidavit. In the photos released by HUPD, both men were shown wearing sweatshirts with hoods and ski masks.

After the explosion, police from the Wentworth Institute of Technology interviewed four students who identified Patterson and Cardoza as the two suspects. According to court documents, the two told the students that they had caused the explosion and were targeting a building that looked abandoned.

HUPD then interviewed one of the Wentworth students, who again said that Patterson and Cardoza were the suspects. Authorities arrested the two men on Nov. 4, and the arrests were announced by the U.S. Attorney’s Office the same day.

The motivation for the incident remains unclear, but the Boston Fire Department Arson Unit determined the explosion to be intentional. Patterson and Cardoza will be sentenced by a U.S. District Court judge on Aug. 4.

—Staff writer Shawn A. Boehmer can be reached at [email protected] and on Signal at shawnb.18. Follow him on X @ShawnBoehmer.

—Staff writer Claire A. Michal can be reached at [email protected] and on Signal at ClaireMichal.154.