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SYOSSET, N.Y. — A father and his teen son are facing charges after suspicious chemicals were discovered inside a home in Syosset on Long Island in New York.
Police were called to the scene after a variety of chemicals were found inside the house.
The 15-year-old apparently drew a swastika in the boys’ bathroom at Syosset High School, prompting the investigation.
Nassau County, New York police arrived to the teen’s home around 1:30 p.m. Wednesday
Video from the scene shows several unknown chemicals removed from the home and lined up on the lawn.
Officials believed the materials could be dangerous, prompting a response from the bomb squad in the residential neighborhood.
Police say the chemicals were considered too hazardous to transport as they had been combined to create explosive materials; so they were destroyed on site.
Detectives alleged that the teen’s father, Francisco Sanles, 48, paid for the purchase of the various chemicals on multiple occasions.
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The father and son told police in their statements that they bought the chemicals to build rockets. Neither was qualified to handle the chemicals in that manner.
Court papers said Sanles took his son to various hardware stores, including Lowe’s and Home Depot, to purchase various chemicals to build rockets. The father bought the chemicals, but “did not supervise him while he heated/cooled/combined these chemicals.”
Multiple acids, oxidizers and fuels were found in a detached shed, 4 feet from the home and partially secured with a clear tarp that had several holes and was held together by tape, according to officials.
Highly unstable chemicals, including nitroglycerin, aluminum powder, aluminum sulfide and hydrogen sulfide were also found in the shed, officials said.
Sanles is charged with criminal possession of a weapon, criminal facilitation, endangering the welfare of a child and reckless endangerment.
The teen is charged with criminal possession of a weapon, criminal mischief, aggravated harassment and making graffiti.
Both are due in court separately on Thursday.
Students and staff at Syosset High School were notified of the graffiti and ongoing investigation in an email from the school district Wednesday night.
“Our investigation identified the person responsible and this is now a criminal matter with an active police investigation. We are cooperating fully with our partners in law enforcement and remain in constant contact with them as their investigation continues. This student will also face serious consequences pursuant to the District’s Code of Conduct,” the email said. “Antisemitism and hate speech have no place in our communities or in our schools. Syosset has long been proud of being a welcoming, empathetic, and inclusive community and those values remain firm. We protect those values and this community by confronting and holding accountable those who traffic in any form of hate.”
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