Hialeah Man's Phone Under Fake Name 'Alex Boom' Links Him To Salvation Army Bomb Threat

A 63-year-old Hialeah man is facing a felony charge after deputies say he called in a bomb threat to a Salvation Army building in Northwest Miami-Dade, triggering an evacuation and a multi-hour K9 search before the property was declared safe. Investigators identified Juan Carlos Siblia-Lopez as the suspect after tracing the call to a phone registered under the name “Alex Boom,” according to deputies.

The Salvation Army location sits at 1907 NW 38th St. in Hialeah, and it's more than just an office — the site, known as the Miami Central Corps, runs a Women and Children's Lodge emergency shelter, a food pantry, and family crisis services, according to Salvation Army program listings. As WPLG Local 10 reports, a front-desk worker at the facility received two calls from the same number, and the caller claimed there was a live bomb inside the building while also asking to speak with a specific case worker supervisor.

Building Cleared After Hours-Long Search

Deputies with the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office evacuated the building after the threat came in, and K9 units combed the property for explosive devices. The station's report notes the building was ultimately deemed safe after several hours, and people were allowed back inside once the sweep was complete.

Investigators say the phone used to make the calls traced back to Siblia-Lopez, who reportedly lives with his mother in Hialeah, per deputies. According to the arrest form cited in the same account, Siblia-Lopez confirmed his phone was registered under the name Alex Boom and confessed to calling in the bomb threat.

Felony Charge Carries Steep Penalties Under Florida Law

Siblia-Lopez was booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, Miami-Dade County's main intake facility where new arrestees are processed and given a first-appearance hearing within 24 hours, according to Miami-Dade County. His bond had not yet been set as of Thursday, per the same account.

He was charged with falsely reporting a bomb threat, a second-degree felony under Florida Statute § 790.163 that carries penalties of up to 15 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000, according to The Florida Legislature. The same statute bars judges from suspending, deferring, or withholding adjudication of guilt for the offense, meaning a conviction leaves a permanent felony record with no judicial leniency available. Courts can also order anyone convicted to pay full restitution covering the costs of mobilizing law enforcement and emergency agencies to respond.

Part of a Broader Pattern Across Miami-Dade

This is far from an isolated incident in the county. Just this year, Miami-Dade deputies swept Westwood Christian School in Kendale Lakes after a threat that turned out to be a swatting hoax, according to Bomb Hoax At Westwood Christian reporting. A Coral Way Walmart was emptied and searched by police and fire-rescue crews in May after an unfounded threat, and a nighttime bomb scare at Baptist Hospital on North Kendall Drive forced a lockdown of the medical facility in April.

In January, a 49-year-old traveler was arrested at Miami International Airport and booked into the same TGK facility on similar second-degree felony charges after falsely claiming he had a bomb in his luggage during an airline dispute. South Florida law enforcement officials have repeatedly stressed that hoax bomb threats pull critical manpower away from real emergencies and force first responders to treat every call as an active threat until proven otherwise, wasting taxpayer resources in the process.