What to Know
- The Bucks County DA is warning residents in the greater Quakertown area to look out for suspicious devices.
- There may be four bombs hidden in the area, the Bucks DA said. The warning is tied to the investigation of some 30 mystery blasts nearby.
- David Surman, Jr., faces a litany of charges related to the case including possession of a weapon of mass destruction.
The Pennsylvania man accused of detonating multiple explosive devices last year set up fake online accounts to buy gun parts and chemical compounds while out on bail, prosecutors said.
David Surman Jr. was charged last year with multiple counts of building and manufacturing weapons of mass destruction after a series of explosions rocked Bucks County. He was released after posting $500,000 bail, according to court documents.
Investigators executing a search warrant on his electronic devices found traces of child child pornography. Surman was arrested, again, and posted bail in that case.
But on Monday, Bucks County prosecutors said Surman set up fake Social Security and PayPal accounts to purchase computer equipment, dangerous chemicals and 3D printing equipment while out on bail. Those purchases violated terms of his bail and should result in time behind bars, Bucks County District Attorney Matt Weintraub said in court.
Surman was first arrested in June 2018 after local and federal authorities, including the ATF and FBI, on accusations that he built and detonated explosives in the Upper Bucks County area. Between April and June of that year, at least 30 explosions were reported by residents. Some left craters on roadsides and in farmlands. Residents were rattled and investigators befuddled for weeks.
Detectives found multiple explosive devices in Surman's Milford Township home when he was taken into custody. At least one device was large enough to create mass destruction, according to authorities.
The 32-year-old also owned a chemical and solvents business and was, according to authorities, in possession of methamphetamine. His girlfriend, Tina Smith, was charged as an accomplice in the explosive case on early October.
Some of the seized explosive devices were constructed of small plastic canisters. A larger device was wrapped in electrical tape and had a unhappy face emoji bomb pasted to the side.
