MORRIS COUNTY – A Morris County man has admitted to possessing bombs, precursor materials, and being a felon in possession of guns, announced US Attorney Craig Carpenito.
Christopher Faschan, 31, of Landing, pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful possession of destructive devices and one count of being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition.
According to documents filed in the case and statements made in court, on February 1, 2019, Faschan drove to the home of a person identified in court documents as “Individual 1” in Stanhope, NJ and displayed what he claimed to be a bomb. Faschan then proceeded to detonate the bomb in the area of Lake Lackawanna in Stanhope.
On February 4, 2019, Faschan told law enforcement agents that he had ignited the bomb, describing it as two pounds in weight. Faschan also explained how he used and mixed Potassium Perchlorate, Aluminum Powder, and Tannerite to make several bombs that were in his home.
A search of Faschan’s home recovered a cache of weapons, ammunition, and firearms, including: Firearms, Ammunition, and Large Capacity Magazines:
- 9mm Smith and Wesson semi-automatic, Model 5, high-capacity handgun;
- 9mm Fabrique Nationale Herstal semi-automatic handgun, Model FNX-9;
- Mossberg 12-Gauge shotgun, Model 500;
- Savage .22 Caliber long rifle, Model 64;
- Sturm Ruger .22 Caliber handgun, Model Mark 1;
- .556 Caliber ammunition magazine with a 100-round capacity;
- Numerous pistol magazines loaded with 9mm hollow-point rounds.
Explosive Devices and Precursor Materials:
- Device One, which 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;
- Device Two, which contained several containers of lighter fluid affixed around explosive material in the center with a fuse protruding from the device.
- Four plastic containers labeled “exploding targets” containing a substance that appears to be Ammonium Nitrate;
- One package labeled “Thermite” containing separated chemicals;
- One container containing dark-colored powder labeled “Indian Dark;”
- One unlabeled plastic bag containing fine, dark-colored powder;
- One clear plastic container labeled “German Ecartk aluminum powder,”
- One plastic container labeled “Potassium Perchlorate;”
- Three mason jars containing a white substance labelled “KC104;”
- One package of Hobby Fuse;
- Two plastic containers containing sphere-shaped, gray energetic pellets;
- One red and white can labeled “FFg super fine black rifle powder;”
- Thirteen homemade MSeries pyrotechnic devices;
- Four improvised pyrotechnic shot shells;
- One Box labelled “10 flash banger rounds 37MM” containing 17 pyrotechnic shot shells;
- One plastic container containing suspected black powder;
- One plastic container containing dark colored fine powder;
- One bag containing electrical initiators.
The counts of possession of a destructive device and possession of firearms by a previously convicted felon each carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Faschan’s sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 25, 2019.
