A Pennsylvania man has been charged with unlawfully possessing and transporting an explosive device with the intent to intimidate and cause damage, following an incident in Burlington County, New Jersey. Acting U.S. Attorney and Special Attorney Alina Habba announced the charges against Michael Patrick Takacs, Jr., 43, of Warminster, Pennsylvania.
Takacs faces one count of transporting in interstate commerce an explosive with knowledge and intent to intimidate an individual and damage property; one count of unlawfully transporting explosive materials; and two counts of unlawful possession of an explosive device. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Matthew J. Skahill in Camden federal court on August 7, 2025, where he was ordered detained.
“Disgruntled individuals who seek retaliation in such dangerous ways – ways that could have seriously injured not only the victim, but others in the community, cannot be tolerated. We will continue to support and collaborate with our law enforcement partners, who acted swiftly, yet methodically, in this matter. Violent actors will be brought to justice,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Alina Habba.
Special Agent in Charge Stefanie Roddy stated: “We learned a bomb was placed under a person’s vehicle and it exploded before dawn on a Saturday in Delran, NJ. Our agents, intelligence analysts, bomb technicians, evidence response team, and task force officers with state and local police agencies rushed to the scene and immediately began searching for a suspect. We worked around the clock and developed evidence in just days to allege Takacs built the bomb and took very specific steps to avoid detection. Our most important mission in these types of investigations is to protect the public from injury or death by preventing additional attacks. The people of New Jersey do not always get to see the swift and incredible work done by the FBI and our law enforcement partners, but this case illustrates what we do and the way we do it is vital to the communities we serve.”
Court documents indicate that on July 26, 2025 at about 2:42 a.m., an explosive detonated near a silver Ford Explorer owned by Victim-1 while parked at their residence in Delran. The explosion created a debris field about 100 feet wide; nails and bolts were found lodged both in the vehicle’s bodywork as well as nearby homes.
Surveillance video captured approximately two minutes before the blast showed a dark-colored SUV—later identified as a Jeep Renegade—parking across from Victim-1’s home. An individual exited carrying a black object toward Victim-1’s vehicle before quickly returning empty-handed to depart. Shortly after this sequence—and just before the explosion—the same Jeep Renegade was seen speeding past Victim-1’s residence.
Law enforcement believes that Takacs remotely detonated an explosive device after placing it near Victim-1’s vehicle while driving past.
Victim-1 had previously supervised Takacs at work prior to Takacs’ termination from employment around May 2025.
Investigators later found a Jeep Renegade matching surveillance footage parked outside Takacs’ home in Warminster. They also discovered that Takacs purchased detonators similar to those recovered at the scene weeks prior via an online retailer.
Evidence further showed that on June 4, 2025 Takacs took a screenshot of an online map showing Victim-1’s residence location; he also discussed buying a license plate flipper—a device used for concealing license plates—with another individual. Authorities confirmed that Takacs lacked permits or licenses required for making or transporting explosives.
If convicted on counts one or two of the complaint (transporting explosives), Takacs faces up to ten years imprisonment per count plus fines up to $250,000 each; counts three or four (unlawful possession) carry maximum sentences of ten years imprisonment each with fines up to $10,000 per count.
Acting U.S. Attorney Habba credited multiple agencies for their roles: special agents from FBI offices in Newark and Philadelphia; prosecutors from both New Jersey’s district office as well as Pennsylvania’s Eastern District; officials from state homeland security agencies; New Jersey State Police; county prosecutor offices; township police departments; sheriff’s offices; district attorney offices from Bucks County—all contributed throughout various stages of investigation.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Vincent D. Romano and Casey S. Smith (National Security Unit) along with support from DOJ Counterterrorism Section staff.
Charges are accusations only—Takacs remains presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Defense counsel is Thomas Young (Assistant Federal Public Defender).
