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Father and 15-Year-Old Charged After Swastika Probe Uncovers Explosive Chemicals at Syosset Home

The case shifted from school graffiti to a public-safety emergency requiring a controlled detonation.

Overview

  • The Syosset High School probe into a swastika in a boys’ bathroom led officers to a 15-year-old’s home Wednesday afternoon, where they found chemicals mixed into explosives.
  • Police evacuated the Patricia Lane block and carried out a controlled detonation on site because the materials were too unstable to move, and no injuries were reported.
  • Officials said the cache included highly volatile substances such as nitroglycerin along with multiple acids, oxidizers and fuels stored in a shed near the house.
  • Prosecutors said the boy told police his father, Francisco Sanles, bought the chemicals on multiple trips, and Sanles pleaded not guilty Thursday as a judge set bail at $100,000 cash or $200,000 bond, with the teen facing related counts in family court.
  • The Syosset district said it identified the student and will impose code-of-conduct penalties as the criminal investigation continues, a concern in a community that has seen prior antisemitic graffiti.