By Anne Hayes
syracuse.com
SYRACUSE, N.Y. ― A man accused of placing an explosive in a cupcake vending machine inside a Syracuse commercial building was arrested Thursday.
Strauthmeek Hosea, 21, is the second man charged in connection with the explosion that went off around 1:42 p.m. in the lobby of 404 Oak St., police said in a criminal complaint filed in Syracuse City Court.
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Hosea placed an incendiary device into a pink Cupcakes R Me vending machine and lit the explosive before running out of the lobby, police said in court documents.
No one was injured, but the lobby was significantly damaged.
Bay E. Rosario, 30, went with Hosea and acted as the getaway driver after the explosion, according to court documents. After fleeing, Rosario was involved in a pursuit where he drove recklessly, ignored traffic control devices and refused to stop for police, police said.
Rosario got rid of a loaded .357 Smith & Wesson revolver during the explosion by throwing it from a vehicle in a parking lot on North Salina Street. The firearm was later recovered by police, according to the documents.
The owner of the Cupcakes R Me vending machine, Kadesha Carter, is Rosario’s ex-girlfriend.
In a Facebook post, she said she had not seen or spoken to Rosario in nine months. She said he damaged her property, including smashing car windows, slashing tires and breaking televisions after they broke up.
Carter’s vending machine was destroyed by the explosion.
A 17-second video shows a person dressed in black bending over and dropping something in the vending machine. The person runs out the door and about 12 seconds later the explosive goes off, the video shows.
Police say Hosea is the man seen in the video.
Hosea is charged with first-degree arson, third-degree criminal possession of a weapon and first-degree criminal mischief.
Rosario is charged with first-degree arson, first-degree criminal mischief, second- and third-degree criminal possession of a weapon, criminal possession of a firearm, tampering with physical evidence, third-degree fleeing a police officer and resisting arrest.
The blast prompted a massive response from emergency crews. A bomb squad, crime scene unit, mobile command center, more than 10 police vehicles and multiple fire trucks went to the scene.
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