SALEM TOWNSHIP, Pa. — A Pennsylvania landlord narrowly escaped serious injury when his lawn mower exploded moments after he started it — and investigators now suspect foul play, pointing to a former tenant he evicted last month.
David Martin reported the blast to authorities around 4:30 p.m. on July 20, after the lawn mower suddenly detonated at his rental property in the 7900 block of Salem Township, Westmoreland County, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Martin told police he had just begun routine maintenance work on the property and had fueled up his Club Cadet zero-turn mower before starting it. He said he let the engine idle for about ten seconds before moving forward — when a powerful blast erupted beneath him.
“A loud explosion occurred, jolting him forward,” the affidavit quoted Martin as saying. He immediately jumped off and fled the area.
The explosion prompted a multi-agency investigation involving local police, the FBI, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Authorities quickly turned their attention to 54-year-old James Sever, a former tenant who had been evicted from the same property on June 3.
According to the affidavit, a state trooper had encountered Sever at the property on June 11, when Sever allegedly returned after his eviction and made threats against Martin.
Martin told investigators he hadn’t visited the property or used the mower in three days prior to the explosion. He had arrived about 30 minutes before the incident to begin maintenance work.
He first entered the garage bay, filled the mower’s gas tank, then started it and sat down. The explosion occurred just as he engaged the handles to move forward, suggesting the device had been tampered with in advance.
Authorities have not disclosed what type of explosive device may have been used or whether Sever has been taken into custody.
The blast remains under investigation as officials work to determine how the explosive was placed and who was responsible.
The landlord was not injured in the explosion, but investigators believe the timing of the device suggests a deliberate attempt to harm him.
