Campers With Bomb, Weapons Arrested in Woods: Cops

Trio found staying in woods near Upper Dublin homes, golf course

Upper Dublin Police arrested two men and a woman after they were found living in a temporary structure in the woods, armed with a rifle, ammunition, machetes and a homemade bomb.

Police discovered the trio sleeping at their armed encampment between Twining Road and the Norfolk-Southern train lines Sunday after receiving reports of people living in the woods, Montgomery County authorities say.

The makeshift campsite, which was near the Twining Valley Golf Club, was home to a loaded .22-caliber rifle, a pellet gun, an ax, two machetes, knives, ammunition, two-way radios and a bomb made out of a plastic soda bottle filled with gunpowder and firecrackers, said police.

The Montgomery County Bomb Squad detonated the homemade bomb.

The three campers -- Jonathan Mosko, 26, of Willow Grove; Jocelyn Carothers, 22, of Warrington; and Jason Ryan, 24, of Cranford, N.J. -- were all arrested on charges of causing or risking a catastrophe, possession of prohibited offensive weapons, reckless endangerment, criminal trespass, criminal conspiracy and theft.

The discovery was disturbing and there were potential military connections to the group, said Montgomery County District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman. But she cautions that the investigation is still in its early stages.

"I don't think we have enough information to know what they were doing there and why these three particular individuals were there together," Vetri Ferman said.

 
    Jonathan Mosko           Jocelyn Carothers             Jason Ryan

While authorities aren't completely sure what the group planned on doing with the weapons, the two men arrested did shed some light.

Mosko told authorities the three were practicing military field maneuvers and that at times Ryan would fire on passing freight trains as target practice.

Ryan also admitted that he was discharged from the U.S. Army for health reasons and has training with explosives, court documents stated.

It appears the group was living in the woods for at least a week, according to Mosko's boss at a local restaurant.

"He had an argument where he was staying and they threw him out and that he was tenting it for the last week or two," the man said.

All three suspects are being held on $25,000 bail each.

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