Sussex County Prosecutor Francis Koch, Morris County Prosecutor Fredric Knapp, Morris County Sheriff James M. Gannon, and Byram Chief Peter J. Zabita have jointly announced the arrest of Christopher Faschan, 31, from the Landing section of Roxbury Township on charges of Possession of an Explosive Device with the Purpose to Use it Unlawfully, Aggravated Assault, Terroristic Threats, and Possession of an Explosive Device.
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On Sunday and Monday, Feb.3 and 4, representatives of these law enforcement agencies investigated an explosion and conducted a search of several areas to assure the safety of the public and the officers investigating.
The charges resulted from a joint investigation that also included the Roxbury and Mount Olive police departments.
It is alleged that Mr. Faschan drove to the residence of an alleged victim and waited in his vehicle. When the alleged victim approached, he showed her a home-made explosive device that he referred to as a bomb, and stated was the type of device that you could stick to the bottom of a car.
After the defendant departed, it is alleged that he detonated the device near, or in, Lake Lackawanna. The explosion was heard by the alleged victim and multiple residents of the Lake Lackawanna community.
The defendant was charged on a warrant and is currently detained in the Keough Dwyer Correctional Facility in Newton. His next court appearance is Friday, Feb. 8.
Morris County Sheriff James M. Gannon said: We deployed assets to Byram, Roxbury and Mount Olive in support of their investigation to maintain safety and properly collect evidence.
Our resources included the Morris County Bomb Squad, Explosives Detection K9, Sheriff's Emergency Response Team (SERT), and the Crime Scene Investigations Unit (CSI), for the purpose of assisting in the investigation, search warrant, and ultimately rendering the scene and surrounding area safe.
The case is still under active investigation and anyone with information is asked to contact the Sussex County Prosecutor's Office at 973-383-1570.