PRINCETON — On Monday, November 17, 2025, at approximately 4:00 a.m., Officer Douglas Costa of the Princeton Police Department responded to Wheeler Road following a report of explosions.Â
According to a statement from Princeton Police Chief Paul Patriarca, during the preliminary investigation, and with assistance from a witness, Officer Costa was able to identify the suspect as Jason E. Baldarelli, Jr., 27, of Wheeler Road, Princeton.
“Officer Costa then worked closely with the Worcester County District Attorney’s Office to obtain a search warrant as the investigation continued,” Chief Patriarca said in the statement.
Police conducted a planned traffic stop at about 7 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 20, following a multi-agency investigation.
Officer Dominic Esposito stopped the vehicle on Hubbardston Road, where officers located nine explosive devices inside the truck. Baldarelli was taken into custody and charged with unlawful possession of explosive devices.
A search of Baldarelli’s Wheeler Road residence followed following his arrest, where investigators recovered an additional 23 devices, which investigators said were like half sticks of dynamite that looked like large firecrackers, CBSNews.com reported.
Baldarelli’s neighbors reported hearing repeated loud booms that shook nearby homes and said they were relieved to learn charges had been filed.
“He was throwing explosives around his yard that were going off and that’s what was causing the complaints,” Officer Costa told WCVB.
Baldarelli was arraigned Thursday in Leominster District Court on one count of unlawful possession of explosive devices and was held on $7,500 cash bail. He is due back in court on Dec. 17.
