PLUM, Pa. — Fire investigators say a house explosion that rocked a Plum neighborhood nearly four years ago was intentional.
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Police have charged 41-year-old Jacob Andrew Rabb with several charges, including four counts of criminal attempted homicide, aggravated arson, and criminal mischief.
Now, the property on the 5000 block of Hialeah Drive, where the home once stood, is just an empty lot listed for sale.
Neighbors say they were stunned to learn what investigators believe caused the blast.
“It’s pretty disturbing to hear that it was intentionally set,” said neighbor Akil Washington.
Washington and Harriet Schwartz both remember the moment their normally quiet neighborhood was shaken by the explosion on April 22, 2022.
“I felt and heard a loud boom,” Washington said. “It shook my house a bit.”
“The garage door ended up in our front yard,” Schwartz added.
For years, neighbors wondered what caused the explosion.
But court documents obtained by Channel 11 suggest a more troubling explanation.
Investigators reviewed data from the home’s gas company, Peoples Gas, and found unusually high gas consumption between April 18 and April 22, 2022, the day of the blast.
On December 29, 2022, court documents reveal Rabb’s girlfriend at the time reported him missing after he made suicidal attempts.
Rabb placed an MP3 player in the mailbox containing farewell videos to his family.
This happened after she informed Rabb that she intended to end their relationship.
He was later found in Wilkins Township.
On May 24, 2023, Rabb’s former girlfriend filed a PFA, or Protection from Abuse order, against Rabb.
Court records show on May 26, 2023, Rabb’s girlfriend told police she found a note in a kitchen cabinet that read, “If I can’t have her, no one will, or my kids see you all in hell.” Another note stated, “P.S. I did blow up the house.”
According to investigators, on June 15, 2023, Rabb later admitted he disconnected the gas valve from a dryer and turned the gas back on, allowing gas to flow freely inside the home.
Officials say he did this three separate times, with the final occurrence causing the explosion.
“I can’t imagine that anyone would do that to their children,” Schwartz said.
Neighbors say the case brings closure but also frustration, because many say they were left in the dark for years.
“To this day, I’m still literally thinking that was a gas explosion,” Washington said.
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