Harvard Medical School explosion suspects plead guilty, face up to 5 years in prison

Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald on Apr 24, 2026

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BOSTON — Two Massachusetts men have pleaded guilty to breaking into Harvard Medical School and detonating fireworks last Halloween night, a crime that caught the eye of FBI Director Kash Patel.

Logan David Patterson, 18, of Plymouth, and Dominick Frank Cardoza, 21, of Bourne, could face up to five years in prison after they each pleaded guilty to conspiring to damage a building on the school’s campus with a large commercial firework.

Patel applauded authorities for tracking down and arresting the two men in connection with the explosion that unfolded late last Halloween night.

“Great work @FBIBoston and partners – another win for our Homeland Security Task Force getting the job done,” Patel stated in an X post last Nov. 4.

U.S. District Court Judge Angel Kelley has scheduled sentencings for Aug. 4.

Surveillance cameras in the area of Boston’s Huntington Avenue and Longwood Avenue caught Cardoza and Patterson in the early hours of Nov. 1 wearing face coverings, walking near the medical school, and lighting what the feds said appeared to be Roman candle fireworks.

About 10 minutes later, at around 2:33 a.m., the defendants were seen climbing scaffolding to access the roof of the Goldenson building, which houses a research laboratory for the Harvard Medical School Department of Neurobiology.

Harvard police responded to an alert of a fire alarm triggered by an explosion on the building’s fourth floor, minutes later, charging documents state. The explosive, a “large commercial firework,” reportedly detonated inside a wooden locker, documents state.

“Anxiety levels naturally rise when the public learns that an explosion was intentionally caused. I would say those levels may rise even higher in the Boston area,” Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Leah Foley said at a news conference following the arrests last fall.

“Luckily,” Foley added, “our local police, campus police, state police, and federal authorities responded immediately and worked collaboratively through the weekend to ensure that this incident was, in fact, isolated and to identify those who are alleged to have caused it.”

The Harvard PD called in the Boston Fire Department’s arson unit, with responders determining that the explosion appeared to be intentional. The Boston Police Department swept the building but did not find any other explosive devices, according to Harvard.

Cardoza and Patterson could face up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000.

Ted Docks, special agent in charge of FBI Boston, highlighted how authorities recovered video footage showing Cardoza allegedly sitting on a bench in the area after he fled the scene and removed his pants to throw them in a nearby garbage bin.

“What’s equally disturbing,” Docks said, “these two men allegedly boasted about what they did to their friends. We believe these two knew what they were doing was wrong, and they did it anyway.”

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