A Long Island man who authorities say made at least seven homemade bombs and threw at least one of them onto the subway tracks of the Williamsburg Bridge after expressing antisemitic comments and frustration about immigration in New York City was indicted on Tuesday.
Michael Gann, 55, of Inwood in Nassau County, was charged with one count of attempted destruction of property by means of explosives, one count of transportation of explosive materials and one count of unlawful possession of destructive devices.
Collectively, the charges could result in a maximum prison sentence of 40 years if convicted, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.
Court documents reviewed by The Christian Post say Gann, who was arrested by authorities on June 5, was previously arrested 30 times, including 12 felony arrests. He was also convicted a total of 27 times, including three times for felonies.
He is accused of storing precursor chemicals, at least five of his homemade bombs, and shotgun shells on the rooftops of residential apartment buildings in SoHo, Manhattan.
Two witnesses, including a U.S. Military veteran who reported Gann to police, allegedly witnessed him testing his bomb materials and making antisemitic references.
“According to Witness-2, who is a United States military veteran, on or about June 4, 2025, i.e., on the same day that Gann was mixing the … explosives, Gann said to Witness-2, in sum and substance, ‘What kind of veteran are you? You see a problem going on in the neighborhood and you do nothing about it.’ Gann then pointed to a Jewish school behind Location-1,” Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent Christopher Hasson wrote in the complaint against Gann in June.
Before moving the bombs to Manhattan, both Gann and Witness 1 did one test explosion each by lighting a mixture of potassium perchlorate and aluminum powder, which the suspect bought online. The veteran reported that the second explosion, which was set off by Witness 1, blinded him for about 15-20 seconds after he saw it.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know.
“The safety of New Yorkers is paramount,” U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said in a statement. “As alleged, Michael Gann built explosive devices, stored them on a rooftop in SoHo, and threw one onto the subway tracks — putting countless lives at risk. Thanks to swift work by our law enforcement partners, no one was harmed. That vigilance assuredly prevented a tragedy in New York.”
Several months before he made the bombs, Gann tagged President Donald Trump’s official X account in March, complaining about the impact of immigration on New York City, according to the indictment.
“Dear @POTUS, I’m thinking just now here in NYC that it’s too bad that the wall wasn’t built before the National Guard would have to come here for the Protests and Riotation or would you just drop a bomb on this place while and because they seem to be coming and coming?” Gann wrote.
Hours before he was arrested on June 5, he reportedly wrote on Instagram: “Who wants me to go out to play like no tomorrow?”
After his arrest, Gann reportedly lied to investigators that he had disposed of the precursor chemicals and the shotgun shells in a dumpster in Manhattan.
He further told investigators that he wanted to make pyrotechnics and used artificial intelligence to learn which chemicals to buy and mix. He said he learned from online videos that perchlorates were more dangerous than gunpowder and black powder. He stated that he and Witness 1 mixed the chemicals for the bombs in a garage and put them in tubes with end caps and inserted fuses.
He claimed that he tried to return the chemicals to the supplier, but the supplier refused to accept the return. The supplier instructed him, however, to put them in water and throw them out. Gann admitted to throwing three of the devices from the Manhattan side of the Williamsburg Bridge. Two of them landed in the river, but one ended up on the train tracks.
Contact: leonardo.blair@christianpost.com Follow Leonardo Blair on Twitter: @leoblair Follow Leonardo Blair on Facebook: LeoBlairChristianPost
