Months of late-night explosions that jolted central and south Austin neighborhoods have ended with an arrest, after police say they tied a string of blasts to a 49-year-old man and found multiple improvised explosive devices in his home and vehicle. Authorities say no one was injured, and they do not believe there is any ongoing threat to the public.
How the blasts first drew police attention
The case started in August, when residents near Jones Road and the Blunn Creek greenbelt began calling in reports of loud, late-night booms. On Aug. 13, the Austin Police Department Bomb Squad responded to an explosion in the 2500 block of Jones Road and recovered evidence that investigators say was consistent with an improvised explosive device.
Those initial calls to 911, along with community tips, helped detectives link several similar incidents across central and south Austin, according to KVUE.
Search, arrest and the felony charge
On Dec. 16, investigators executed a search and arrest warrant in the 500 block of Lightsey Road. Inside the residence and in a vehicle on scene, officials say they located "multiple improvised explosive devices." The man was identified as 49-year-old Derek Austin Gillespie.
Gillespie was booked on a charge of possession of a prohibited weapon, specifically an explosive device, which is a third-degree felony. "This investigation highlights the importance of collaboration and persistence," APD Chief Lisa Davis said in a statement, according to the City of Austin.
Federal partners and safety update
Police say the APD Bomb Squad worked alongside a long list of partners to crack the case, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the FBI's Central Texas Joint Terrorism Task Force, the U.S. Marshals Lone Star Fugitive Task Force, the Austin Regional Intelligence Center, and Austin Fire. Investigators say those agencies helped analyze evidence and track down the suspect.
According to the City of Austin, there have been no reported injuries tied to the explosions, and "at this time, investigators do not believe there is an ongoing threat to the public." The arrest comes in the same year APD handled a separate South Austin case in April, when officers found and safely detonated homemade explosives at a house on Vintage Stave Road, a reminder of the risks the Bomb Squad has been dealing with in 2025, according to KUT.
What happens next
The case has been turned over to the Travis County District Attorney’s Office. As of Thursday, Gillespie remained in the Travis County Jail on a $100,000 bond, according to county inmate records reported by MySA.
Investigators are asking anyone with additional information about the explosions to contact local police, submit an anonymous tip through the Capital Area Crime Stoppers program, or pass leads to the FBI tipline, as reported by FOX 7 Austin.
