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Marc Muffley, a 40-year-old man, was arrested this week for allegedly trying to carry explosives in his luggage on a flight to Florida from Lehigh Valley International Airport, Pennsylvania. According to a federal complaint, Muffley is currently facing two charges, including possessing and trying to place an incendiary device or explosive on an aircraft.
On Thursday, March 2, 2023, a federal judge ruled that Marc would remain in custody pending his trial as he caused a flight risk and posed a danger to the community. However, Muffley did not enter a plea during the hearing on Thursday.
The former PD chief said that Marc Muffley’s criminal history was minor compared to his current charges. Pennsylvania court records revealed hat Muffley was charged more than six times over the last ten years for possessing controlled substances, minor theft, and harassment, among other crimes.
Marc Muffley was arrested from his Lansford residence in Pennsylvania
As per court documents, during the luggage screening, an alarm was alerted that the baggage Marc was carrying contained explosives. Marc Muffley was then called by Transportation Security Administration agents over the airport intercom system and was asked to report to the security desk. However, prosecutors said that he did not show up.
Soon after, Muffley was caught by security cameras, where he was seen leaving the airport. According to court documents, he checked his suitcase on Flight 201, which was scheduled for Orlando Sanford International Airport, Florida.
The Carbon County chief of detectives was contacted by the FBI, who said that he knew Marc Muffley personally and confirmed that his address matched the one mentioned on his driver’s license. An FBI spokesperson said they arrested Marc Muffley without any expected trouble at his Lansford residence in Pennsylvania, on the night of Monday, February 27.
As stated in court documents, the agents who inspected Marc’s baggage, found a:
"circular compound approximately three inches in diameter, wrapped in a wax-like paper and clear plastic wrap hidden in the lining of the baggage, among other items.”
Investigators said that the bag was X-rayed by a safety bomb technician, and it was found to contain a powder hidden in a plastic wrap that was consistent with commercial-grade fireworks. The investigators also stated that a fuse was connected to the circular compound.
The complaint stated:
"The baggage also contained a can of butane, a lighter, a pipe with white powder residue, a wireless drill with cordless batteries, and two GFCI outlets taped together with black tape.”
The TSA said in a statement that the immediate area of Lehigh Valley International Airport was evacuated out of an abundance of caution. The Lehigh-Northampton Airport Authority Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation were also notified immediately.
According to the TSA, the bomb technicians determined that the item found in Marc Muffley’s suitcase was indeed an improvised explosive device.
As stated by Colin Riccobon, the public relations director at Lehigh Valley International Airport, the area was closed and all work was halted for more than two hours following the incident. Several agencies responded to the scene, including two bomb squads. Riccobon said the cooperation from the agencies exemplified tremendous teamwork.
In Thursday’s court hearing, Muffley's attorney, Jonathan McDonald, argued that his client was overcharged. He said that the device that was allegedly found in Marc’s suitcase did not fit the legal definition of possessing or trying to place an incendiary device or explosive on an aircraft. McDonald said that the device was merely the entrail of a firework and did not have a way of even remotely being detonated.
Marc Muffley’s attorney further added:
"Although this might be a flashy story because it involves a plane, this is not a situation where there's any reason to believe that this person had any interest in causing harm to anyone other than lighting fireworks off at a beach in Florida.”
However, prosecutor Sheri Stephan stated that a bomb technician determined the device to be an explosive after inspecting it. He added that Muffley told law enforcement that he knew the bag contained an explosive as well as a light, lithium batteries, and butane.
Sheri Stephan called it astonishing that Marc Muffley went to the airport with these things in his suitcase and attempted to have them placed with other pieces of luggage on the flight.
Former chief police and Marc Muffley's previous lawyer said he did not have any radical beliefs
Lansford’s former police chief, Jack Soberick, was consulted by federal authorities before the arrest of Marc Muffley. He said that he came to know the suspect a great many times during his 25 years of tenure in the department in northeastern Pennsylvania.
Soberick said in a statement to CNN that he did not remember details about all of Marc Muffley’s arrests, but that they were minor in nature. The former police chief further stated that he encountered Marc both as a victim and as a suspect, but any violence Muffley has caused in the past was limited to a fistfight. Jack Soberick added:
"There's nothing that would light up and say, 'Hey, this guy's gonna try to bomb an aircraft.' I don't think he's radicalized or anything like that."
Marc Muffley's former lawyer, James Desanto, who represented him in many of his cases, also said that he never had any indication of having radical beliefs to bring explosives on a plane.
