Police in Suffolk County on Tuesday evacuated two floors at Stony Brook University Hospital as they investigated a suspicious package found on a man.
A security guard told State University Police about about a suspicious person in the emergency department just after 9 p.m., according to authorities. Officers arrived and tool the man into custody, and shortly after called Suffolk County Police after discovering a suspicious package inside the man's backpack.
The county's bomb squad and canine unit arrived at the scene shortly after, and found that the man had three explosive devices in the backpack. Two floors of the hospital, including the emergency room, were evacuated as a precaution and were reopened hours later. No injuries were reported.
The suspect was later identified as Robert Roden, and a police led by arson detectives and accompanied by the FBI, ATF and local authorities searched his Mastic Beach home on Wavecrest Drive on Wednesday. The search revealed that the 33-year-old Roden had five explosive devices at the residence, along with an AR-15 and electronics used to make bombs that investigators found after having to remove a booby trap to enter Roden's bedroom. Those devices are now being inspected by the FBI.
An unidentified man arriving at the home refused to comment on Thursday. Neighbors told NBC New York that they often heard explosions coming from the backyard of the house.
Roden had apparently traveled to the hospital with his partner who was being treated in the emergency room for an unspecified ailment. Officials said he made no apparent threat against the hospital.
Roden was charged with weapons possession, possession of a controlled substance and criminal contempt, with other charges still pending. He said nothing as he was taken to court for his arraignment Thursday, where he pleaded not guilty.
