Person of interest arrested after explosion at Bridgeport building

Bridgeport police arrested a person of interest Thursday after an explosion shook a building and forced the evacuation of the area early that morning. Nelson Diaz, of Bridgeport, is charged with disorderly conduct and is being held on $25,000 bail while local, state and federal law enforcement continues their investigation.

It happened at 1512 North Avenue, just before 12:30 a.m., in the hallway outside a third-floor apartment. The explosion appears to have blown out the door frame. Incredibly, no one was injured.

“We heard a loud boom, it shook the whole building! I went upstairs to check what was going on. Apparently someone broke down someone's door,” said Paquito Deleon, who lives in the building. “We were terrified.”

Police and firefighters initially responded to a 911 call reporting smoke coming from the third floor of the building, but once there, they realized some sort of explosive device had detonated. They called in the state police bomb squad and the FBI, who evacuated the building and surrounding homes as a precaution. Police said more than 100 people were initially affected, but many were allowed to return after a sweep of the building showed up empty.

Those who live at 1512 North Ave. spent the night across the street at Geraldine Johnson Elementary School, which the city closed Thursday so it could serve as a temporary shelter for those tenants. They were released into the building around 9:45 a.m.

“There was a slight delay due to a problem with the fire alarm system. It appeared to have been damaged in the explosion, so I had to have it checked before I could allow the tenants into the building,” the MP explained. Fire Commissioner Robert Marrero.

Sophia Dossantos, 10, was part of the group that spent the early morning hours at school.

“It was really fun there. I met two new friends,” Sophia told News 12.

She was sleeping at home when her mother woke her and explained that they had to leave. Sophia described the scene in the hallway as her family left their apartment.

“I saw smoke. I was like, “What’s going on? Is there a fire or something? And then I saw some wooden things falling and I was like, “Oh, my God, what happened?” “, she remembers.

Investigators are still working to answer that question. Diaz was seen wandering the halls just before the explosion and quickly leaving the building just seconds afterward, according to police. They also said he was seen wandering the halls the night before.

At a news conference Thursday afternoon, Chief Roderick Porter said he did not believe Diaz was a tenant in the building. Porter also said police had not established a relationship between him and the people living in the apartment that was most affected by the explosion.

“We hope to know soon what the device was and the intent behind the incident,” Porter said.

Reinaldo Fernandes, an employee of the company that manages the property, told News 12 the explosion happened outside an apartment where a 14-year-old girl was at the time. Fernandes said she was home alone because the teen's mother was working.

“Thank God she was in the bathroom and not in the kitchen, because if she was in the kitchen she could get hurt,” Fernandes said.

Fernandes was on site Thursday to help with repairs.

“The damage to the door is completely fragmented, even the trim around it. There is a 2X4 driving behind the door. Everything is damaged. And a 2X4, you don’t break a 2X4 that easily,” Fernandes said. “Even like in the kitchen, you can see the refrigerator has some signs of damage.”

Fernandes told News 12 the damage extended throughout the hallway, causing cracks in the ceiling, evidence that the cause of the explosion was strong.

“Everyone here knows everyone. We are a close neighborhood. And that really shook us,” Deleon said. “I was just happy that everyone was safe and that the mighty God took care of us.”

“We want to reassure the community that there is no ongoing threat to them,” Porter said.