Logan David Patterson and Dominick Frank Cardoza plead guilty to Harvard lab explosion
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Apr 24
Logan David Patterson and Dominick Frank Cardoza plead guilty to Harvard lab explosion
14 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Apr 24
The two Massachusetts men admitted in Boston federal court to detonating a commercial firework inside Harvard Medical School’s Goldenson Building on November 1, 2025.
The explosion damaged a hallway section but caused no structural harm. Surveillance footage showed the men lighting Roman candle fireworks and fleeing the scene before returning to the Wentworth Institute of Technology.
Both men face up to five years in prison, supervised release, and a $250,000 fine, with sentencing scheduled for August. The incident prompted increased campus security and highlighted risks to research facilities.
Why are prosecutors recommending no prison for a federal explosives charge at Harvard?
How did two men breach security to detonate a firework inside a Harvard research lab?
Does a no-prison deal for the Harvard firework incident set a dangerous precedent?
They filmed their crime for friends. Will a light sentence encourage more dangerous stunts?
With sentencing in August, what factors will the judge weigh beyond the plea deal?
Will the 'developing brains' defense convince a judge this was just youthful mischief?