MASSACHUSETTS – Two Massachusetts men have been arrested and charged in connection with an alleged conspiracy to damage a building on Harvard Medical School’s campus using a large commercial firework, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Boston.
Logan David Patterson, 18, of Plymouth, and Dominick Frank Cardoza, 20, of Bourne, are each charged with one count of conspiracy to damage property by means of an explosive. Both were arrested and are scheduled to appear in federal court in Boston.
According to court documents, around 2:45 a.m. on November 1, 2025, an explosion occurred on the fourth floor of the Goldenson Building, which houses a research lab within Harvard Medical School’s Department of Neurobiology. Surveillance video allegedly captured the defendants lighting fireworks and climbing onto the building’s roof before the blast triggered a fire alarm. Investigators believe the explosion came from a large commercial firework detonated inside a wooden locker in the lab.
Additional footage reportedly showed the suspects attempting to enter other nearby college buildings after the explosion, including Wentworth Institute of Technology and Massachusetts College of Art and Design. Witnesses told investigators the men were visiting the area for Halloween social activities.
The investigation remains ongoing. If convicted, the defendants face up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000.
