Charred body found, nine officers injured in Connecticut barn explosion, after hostage taker barricades himself during negotiations with SWAT
Huge fire razed a house after a barn exploded during a hostage standoff in North Haven, Conn., Wednesday
Police were negotiating with a man who was holding his wife hostage when a barn on the property exploded, the fire later spread to the main house
First responders found a body, and after nine officers were injured in Connecticut barn explosion
The fate of the hostage taker remains unknown as cops searched futilely for him overnight
Police confirmed Thursday, they had found human remains at the site of the explosion, but that a positive identification has not yet been made.
The woman who showed signs of severe abuse reported she’d been held hostage by her husband for several days.
She had filed for divorce from her husband of 41 years, on April 18, saying the “marriage had broken down irretrievably.”
Police spent two hours trying to negotiate with the suspect, who barricaded himself inside the home
Fire blazes behind house after a barn exploded during a domestic hostage situation in North Haven, Conn., Wednesday. Police were negotiating with a man who was holding his wife hostage when the barn on the property exploded.
An 2-hour long police standoff with a man suspected of having held his wife against her will ended in an explosion that injured nine police officers Wednesday in a suburban Connecticut neighborhood.
The large blast destroyed a barn in the backyard of a house listed as 385 Quinnipiac Ave., in North Haven and shook nearby homes. Other structures on the property burned but were “mostly extinguished” by Thursday morning, police said at a news conference.
The woman who allegedly was held captive escaped and alerted police before the standoff and explosion.
A set of charred remains were found on the Connecticut property as officers attempted to negotiate with a man who’d been holding his wife hostage. The suspect’s fate is uncertain. Authorities believe only one person was inside the structure at the time of the explosion but decline to identify the body found Thursday morning until an autopsy was completed.
Aerial shots indicate the property was razed
Nine officers were also taken to Yale New Haven Hospital with minor injuries including cuts, abrasions and bruises after the blast. They’d been trying to coax the suspect out of his home in North Haven, Conn., during an hours-long standoff when a barn on the property exploded around 8:30 p.m. and sparked a massive fire.
Police responded to reports of a “very, very serious domestic” dispute around 2:30 p.m. Wednesday after a woman reported she’d been held hostage by her husband for several days. They spent hours trying to negotiate with the suspect, who barricaded himself inside the home, First Selectman Michael Freda said.
A SWAT team arrived at the scene, and several officers were searching the area around the barn when the explosion went off, according to Freda.
Police continued urging the suspect to exit the house after the blast, as a series of smaller explosions followed.
First responders re-direct traffic as the blaze raged after the barn explosion in Conn., late Wednesday
North Haven police spent hours trying to negotiate with the suspect, who barricaded himself inside the home on Wednesday.
The fire eventually spread from the barn to the house as fire fighters continued battling back flames Thursday morning. The blaze was mostly contained by 10 a.m., with only a few several smaller structures toward the back of the property still on fire.
Connecticut State Police Fire and Explosion investigation unit is on scene working to determine the cause of the blast.
It remains unclear whether the suspect is alive or in custody. The wife, who was not in the home at the time of the explosion, is now safe, Freda said.
Residents near the home said they felt their own homes shake around 8:30 p.m.
Fire fighters combat the blaze that eventually spread from the barn to the house in North Haven, Conn., early Thursday
The fire eventually reportedly, spread from the barn to the house as firefighters continued battling the blaze early Thursday.
Power was out in the area, and homes along the street were evacuated as residents took refuge at the local firehouse. Police believe the barn was rigged some sort of rigged “booby traps”. The blaze burned through the night and firefighters were still working Thursday morning to extinguish some of the structures on the property.
Sources say the woman was severely beaten. She was being treated at a hospital. The husband’s fate remains unclear. Trooper Kelly Grant, a state police spokeswoman, said that she believed the man was in the barn when it exploded. The man reportedly, was barricaded alone at the time police responded.
The woman held hostage in the home filed for divorce in New Haven Superior Court from her husband of 41 years, on April 18, saying the “marriage had broken down irretrievably.” He was scheduled to answer in court on May 8.
Court records show she was not seeking alimony and asked the court for a “fair division of property and debt.”
The filing also indicated that there were no children under 23 in the household.
The police response began Wednesday afternoon when the domestic violence incident was reported to North Haven police. The male home owner then barricaded himself in the home, prompting police and a regional SWAT teams to respond. North Haven First Selectman Michael Freda said police negotiated with a man for “a couple hours.”
One neighbour described the suspected hostage taker as a recluse who was confrontational and irrational. They said the man who works as a plumber, put signs up around his property ordering people to stay off and at times littered his yard with different ceramic toilets and sinks, and filled 55-gallon drums with what neighbours did not know.
His un-neighbourly actions included blasting music in the direction of the neighbours’ homes after arguments. Other times, he would run his lawn mower into the night when neighbours were having parties.
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