Two Men Avoid Jail After Fireworks Blast at Harvard Medical School; Sentenced to Probation, Community Service and Fine

Two Massachusetts men who admitted setting off fireworks inside an empty Harvard Medical School building were sentenced Thursday to probation, community service and a financial penalty but will not serve prison time, federal officials said.

Federal prosecutors identified the defendants as 19-year-old Logan David Patterson and 21-year-old Dominick Frank Cardoza. According to charging documents, the pair were in the Boston area for college Halloween events last year when they broke into the Goldenson Building before dawn, discharged fireworks and fled. No injuries were reported.

Sentence and Court Rationale

Each man was sentenced separately to three years of probation and 300 hours of community service. The court ordered the two to pay a combined fine of $28,517 and to write apology letters to Harvard. U.S. District Judge Angel Kelley denied prosecutors' request for six months of home confinement, saying, "I believe the harsh consequences that flowed from this conviction are a sufficient deterrent."

What Happened

Prosecutors say surveillance footage captured the defendants approaching the Goldenson Building wearing face coverings. The charging document states they climbed scaffolding to reach the roof, entered the building because it appeared abandoned, lit a Roman candle outside and placed a cherry bomb inside a locker, where it detonated. A responding Harvard police officer who investigated a triggered fire alarm reported seeing two people running from the scene.

Responses From Both Sides

"This was a very serious act. At the time, I thought my actions were harmless and they turned out to be much bigger," Patterson said in court, offering an apology.

Outside the courthouse, Cardoza's attorney, Stefan Rozembersky, characterized the episode as reckless youthful mischief rather than an attack. He noted neither defendant had a prior criminal record and both are currently employed—one by a general contractor and the other in landscaping. Still, Rozembersky acknowledged the long-term consequences of a felony conviction: "It's not without severity. Having this felony record is going to keep them from having some things in life and harm them for a long time."

Potential Penalties

Had the case gone to trial and resulted in conviction on the charged conspiracy to damage a building using a large commercial firework, the defendants could have faced up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and fines up to $250,000.

Harvard spokespersons did not immediately respond to requests for comment.