“I just threw a shock into the fire,” Samuel W. Schnee allegedly told witnesses about 40 minutes before a blast tore through a desert Halloween party on October 30, AZ Family reported.
Police received their initial break when partygoers passed around a shared Snapchat account. Witnesses claimed the username changed to reference a black Chevrolet Silverado. Authorities discovered that 24-year-old Samuel W. Schnee owns a black Silverado featuring a personalized license plate matching that digital handle.
Witness accounts placed a blonde white man near the blaze right before detonation. One attendee watched the suspect throw an object into the flames and bolt while laughing. Police arrested Schnee on Friday before he posted bond following a court appearance early Saturday.
The blast in the desert caused catastrophic injuries to multiple attendees. One victim sustained second-degree burns across his leg, right elbow, head, and ears, alongside cuts from broken glass and trampling. Another individual standing close to the fire suffered third-year-equivalent third-degree burns on his left arm and left leg, while a female victim endured facial burns that caused blisters and vision impairment.
Sixteen-year-old Jaidynn Penberthy bore the brunt of the destructive force. She suffered a broken jaw, facial fractures, missing teeth, and severe leg burns. Emergency crews flew her to a burn center for facial reconstruction surgery, though she still requires multiple follow-up operations.
During police questioning at his home three days after the incident, Schnee admitted to tossing a drilled-out piece of aluminum into the fire. He insisted he had drained the chemicals beforehand to remove any built-up pressure.
Digital evidence retrieved by investigators includes Snapchat and text messages where Schnee explained he prepped the shocks at work. He maintained that he could not have caused the catastrophic explosion because he discarded the strut roughly 45 minutes prior to the detonation.
Defense attorney Jerald Schreck argued that the state lacks sufficient identification proof tying his client to the item that actually went into the fire. Schreck also pointed out that investigators have not yet confirmed which specific object triggered the explosion and subsequent injuries.
