A 19-year-old man from Pennsylvania has been charged with making a bomb threat at a store on Newbury Street in Boston. Lucas Lembeck, of Wayne, Pennsylvania, is accused of giving a shopper at an Urban Outfitters store a note claiming he had a bomb, along with a yellow Starburst, as reported by Boston 25 News.
At 12:40 p.m. on Tuesday, a shopper at Urban Outfitters in Boston received a note from Lembeck that read, "I have a bomb don't say a (expletive) word," as per NBC Boston. The shopper alerted authorities, and Boston Police reviewed security footage, identifying a person matching Lembeck's description. Lembeck was arrested after the shopper identified him across the street from the store.
Lembeck first denied entering the store but later admitted to the prank after being read his Miranda rights. "It was dumb," he told police, believing the victim would recognize it as a joke. Investigators found matching paper in his pocket and several packages of Starbursts, some unopened and one opened, as detailed by Boston 25 News.
In response to the incident, Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden expressed disbelief at the recklessness of the act. "It's difficult to fathom how in this day and age anyone would consider it a prank to hand a note to a perfect stranger in the middle of a major city indicating they were holding a bomb," Hayden said according to a statement obtained by NBC Boston, "As this case indicates, such a reckless action causes fear and comes with consequences." Lembeck was released on personal recognizance and is due back in court on April 14 for a pre-trial hearing.
