Two Massachusetts men avoided prison time after pleading guilty to setting off a large commercial firework inside a wooden locker on the fourth floor of Harvard Medical School’s Goldenson Building in Boston. Logan David Patterson and Dominick Frank Cardoza were each sentenced to three years of probation and ordered to pay $28,517 in restitution following the November 2025 incident.
The Clinical Takeaway for Academic Research Facilities
- Blast Containment Risks: Detonating commercial-grade pyrotechnics inside enclosed laboratory furniture creates structural hazards, though federal investigators and university officials confirmed the blast caused no injuries or structural damage.
- Institutional Restitution: Courts enforce mandatory financial recovery, with the defendants ordered to pay Harvard Medical School $28,517 to cover damage and emergency response measures.
Sentencing and Restitution in Federal Court
Logan David Patterson, 19, of Plymouth, and Dominick Frank Cardoza, 21, of Bourne, learned their fate in federal court following an investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. U.S. District Court Judge Angel Kelley sentenced each defendant to three years of probation and the restitution payment of $28,517. In April 2026, both men pleaded guilty to one count each of conspiracy to damage, by means of an explosive, a building owned or operated by an institution receiving federal funding — an offense typically punishable by up to five years in prison.
Prosecutors recommended a lighter sentence as part of a plea agreement after the defendants were arrested in November 2025. Federal authorities stated that the pair had spent Halloween evening visiting several college campuses in the Boston area before targeting the Longwood Avenue facility.
Surveillance Footage and the Timeline of the Goldenson Building Explosion
| Time | Location | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 2:23 a.m. | Huntington and Longwood Avenue | Surveillance captures Patterson and Cardoza in dark clothing and face coverings walking toward campus. |
| 2:24 a.m. | HMS Campus Perimeter | Defendants light roman candle fireworks outdoors. |
| 2:33 a.m. | Goldenson Building Construction Area | The pair climbs a chain-link fence and scales scaffolding to access the roof. |
| 2:45 a.m. | Fourth-Floor Neurobiology Laboratory | Campus police receive a fire alarm alert following the detonation of a commercial firework inside a wooden locker. |
The perpetrators visited the fifth floor of the Goldenson Building immediately after the detonation before exiting via a first-floor emergency exit. The suspects separated, discarded the clothing they wore on campus, and returned to the nearby campus of Wentworth Institute of Technology, where they had been participating in Halloween social activities.
Investigation and Federal Law Enforcement Response
Campus police and federal agents utilized surveillance footage and witness identification to trace the suspects. Witnesses recognized Patterson and Cardoza from images published by police, leading to their arrests on November 4, 2025, just days after the incident. The Department of Neurobiology laboratory housed within the fourth floor of the Goldenson Building experienced activation of emergency systems, prompting an immediate response from Harvard University police vehicles to the Longwood Campus.
“Let me be clear: Setting off an explosive device inside a locker at an institution geared toward higher education is not some harmless college prank,” FBI Boston Special Agent in Charge Ted Docks stated to reporters following the arrests, emphasizing the federal nature of the crime.
References
- U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Massachusetts.
- The Boston Globe. “Two Mass. men arrested in Harvard Medical School explosion.” Reporting by Abby Patkin.
- Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division. Public Safety and Investigation Case Summaries on Federal Property Damage.
