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Morris County Ex-Con Admits Exploding Bomb, Illegally Collecting Weapons

An ex-con from Morris County admitted in federal court in Newark on Wednesday that he detonated a bomb at a lake, owned explosive devices and illegally collected a cache of guns and ammo.

Christopher Faschan

Christopher Faschan

Photo Credit: MUGSHOT

Christopher Faschan, 31, of Landing, pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of destructive devices and being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito said.

Faschan showed the bomb to an unidentified woman on Feb. 1 in Stanhope, then detonated it at Lake Lackawanna, Carpenito said.

“That’s something that could easily be put under someone’s car, not that I would do that or anything,” Faschan then told the person, according to a complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Newark.

“He described it as two pounds in weight and explained how he used and mixed potassium perchlorate, aluminum powder, and tannerite to make several bombs that were in his home,” Carpenito said.

ATF agents subsequently found “explosive devices, precursor materials, weapons and ammunition” at the house, the U.S. attorney added.

Under a plea agreement with the government, Faschan admitted having:

  • a 9mm Smith and Wesson semi-automatic, Model 5, high-capacity handgun;
  • a 9mm Fabrique Nationale Herstal semi-automatic handgun, Model FNX-9;
  • a Mossberg 12-Gauge Model 500 shotgun;
  • a Savage .22-caliber Model 64 long rifle;
  • a Sturm Ruger .22-caliber Model Mark 1 handgun;
  • a .556-caliber ammunition magazine with a 100-round capacity;
  • Several pistol magazines loaded with 9mm hollow-point rounds.

Carpenito said he also had:

  • A device that contained explosive material inside a black container with BB fragmentation, and a green fuse protruding from the device in order to initiate the destructive device;
  • A device that contained several containers of lighter fluid affixed around explosive material in the center with a fuse protruding from the device.
  • 4 plastic containers labeled “exploding targets” containing a substance that Carpenito said appears to be Ammonium Nitrate;
  • A package labeled “Thermite” containing separated chemicals;
  • A container of dark-colored powder labeled “Indian Dark;”
  • An unlabeled plastic bag containing fine, dark-colored powder;
  • A clear plastic container labeled “German Ecartk aluminum powder,”
  • A plastic container labeled “Potassium Perchlorate;”
  • 3 mason jars containing a white substance labelled “KC104;”
  • A package of Hobby Fuse;
  • 2 plastic containers containing sphere-shaped, gray energetic pellets;
  • A red and white can labeled: “FFg super fine black rifle powder;”
  • 13 homemade MSeries pyrotechnic devices;
  • Four improvised pyrotechnic shot shells;
  • A box labeled “10 flash banger rounds 37MM” containing 17 pyrotechnic shot shells;
  • A plastic container containing suspected black powder;
  • A plastic container containing dark-colored fine powder;
  • A bag containing electrical initiators.

U.S. District Judge Brian R. Martinotti scheduled sentencing for Nov. 25.

Carpenito credited ATF and FBI agents, police officers from Byram and Roxbury, the Sussex and Morris county prosecutor’s offices, the Morris County Sheriff’s Office and the NJ State Police.

Handling the case for the government is Assistant U.S. Attorney Dean C. Sovolos of Carpenito’s National Security Unit.

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