Pair charged in explosion outside Bedford home of business rival
Two New Jersey men are facing federal charges after they allegedly dropped off an explosive device in the driveway of a Bedford home owned by a business rival of one of the men, court records reveal.
The explosion Thursday morning outside the home on McLain Street injured no one and caused little damage.
After the explosion, Bedford police found a box that had contained a gas can with firework tubing. On the box was a shipping label with the name and address of Damjan Stanivukovic, a Closter, New Jersey, businessman who had a long-running feud with the owner of the Bedford home, according to a criminal complaint in the case.
The FBI was contacted and a search of Stanivukovic's home revealed several handguns, a shotgun, fireworks similar to what was found with the explosive device and a book titled "Make Fireworks and Explosives at Home − The Ultimate Instructional Manual for Beginners and Pyrotechnicians to Build Firecrackers, Fireworks and Explosives from Scratch."
Stanivukovic and Vladamir Radunovic, who the complaint said frequently stayed at Stanivukovic's home, were arrested Saturday and ordered detained at their initial appearance in U.S. District Court in White Plains. Both men were charged with unlawful possession of a destructive device and conspiracy to commit stalking.
During the investigation, surveillance video and license plate readers showed that a Jeep Grand Cherokee belonging to Stanivukovic's company traveled from his home through Rockland County, over the Gov. Mario M. Cuomo Bridge into Westchester, up the Taconic State Parkway and across Route 133 to Mount Kisco after Radunovic placed a box in the Jeep shortly after 3:30 a.m. Thursday, according to the complaint.
Surveilance video at the victim's home showed the Jeep with two men there between 5:09 and 5:13 a.m., and during that time Radunovic, who walks with a distinct limp, removed a box that appeared to be on fire and place it in the driveway, according to the complaint.
The explosion occurred at 7:09 a.m.
Stanivukovic's LinkedIn page identifies him as the president of Adria Industrial Piping, a heating and air conditioning company. The victim identified the company as Adria Infrastructure LLC, according to the complaint, and told the FBI he and Stanivukovic had been engaged in several legal disputes over a past business relationship.
According to the complaint, on Oct. 13, days before a court date in one of their lawsuits, a "member of the conspiracy wearing a mask" approached the victim at his business in Long Island City and handed him a note that read: "Be smart, do not appeal (sic) on Court on Monday. Better for everybody."
While the victim was being interviewed by law enforcement authorities hours after the explosion, he received a text message that read: "Knock knock show up and what do you think is next. This is your final warning."
According to the complaint, there was a court appearance in the lawsuit the previous day. The victim's lawyer showed up, but Stanivukovic and his lawyer did not.
The text was sent from a cellphone that was in the vicinity of Adria's business address − at the same time that Stanivukovic's own cell phone was in that area, according to the complaint.
Lawyers for the two defendants could not immediately be identified.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: New Jersey men face federal charges in explosion outside Bedford home
