New Kensington Man Accused In Mailbox Explosions

A New Kensington man was in federal custody Tuesday because investigators said he may be the person who planted pipe bombs that destroyed two mailboxes in Upper Burrell last month.

Daniel Engler faces a detention hearing Thursday on charges of having weapons of mass destruction.

Damage was done to a mailbox on Menk Road, police said.

Police said a brick mailbox was also destroyed by what investigators believe was a pipe bomb.

The family on Oaklake Road said they heard an explosion in front of their home and found pieces of brick 70 feet away from the mailbox.

"It almost has to be more sinister. That's not the norm," said a resident. "I could see someone throwing an M-80 in a box, but a pipe bomb? There's some serious stuff going down when that happens."

Police said both explosions happened at night and there were no injuries, but a blast like that could be deadly.

Previous Stories: February 24, 2010: Police: Upper Burrell Mailboxes Destroyed By Pipe Bombs

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