Sheriff’s deputies find three incendiary devices in Chester residence

On Friday afternoon, February 16, droves of Orange County and Rockland County sheriff’s personnel flocked to the Pine Hollow Way apartment complex in Chester for a bomb scare. Senior Investigator Samantha Pascal said at the time that officers discovered a “foreign device” in one of the apartments while in the process of investigating another matter. Once the device was discovered, the officers called in the Rockland County Bomb Disposal Unit and evacuated residents within the apartment complex out of an abundance of caution.

The apartment complex is across the street from the Straus News office. Chester Town Supervisor Brandon Holdridge, who happens to live in the apartment complex, was on the scene as well. He said any residents who had to evacuate could go to the Senior Center until they could safely return, which took several hours as the investigation ensued.

On Saturday morning, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office released the findings of its preliminary investigation. According to the report, here’s how it unfolded: at around 11 a.m. on Friday, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office Patrol Division assisted the Rockland County Sheriff’s Office with serving a temporary order of protection with “search and seizure” conditions to Aleksey Titov, 37, of Chester. The order, which included the seizure of firearms and other devices, was issued by Rockland County Family Court.

While serving the order, Titov allegedly did not cooperate with law enforcement, “became combative,” and was taken into custody.

Then, while searching the apartment, a Rockland County Deputy located a bag that contained what appeared to be an improvised explosive device (IED). At that point, all police personnel backed out of the residence, secured the location, and began evacuating the surrounding apartments. The Rockland County Sheriff’s Office Bomb Disposal Unit (BDU) was called to the scene.

The Sheriff’s Office said the BDU recovered three “intact incendiary devices, with numerous materials consistent with fabricating homemade improvised explosive devices.” After members of the BDU performed a thorough search of the apartment, the building was deemed safe for law enforcement to continue their search, at which time officers allegedly recovered a loaded firearm, four loaded magazines, about 17 grams of psychedelic mushrooms, and a ballistic vest.

Titov was charged with three counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree, a Class D felony for the incendiary devices, as well as one count of criminal possession of a firearm, a Class E felony for the loaded firearm. Titov was arraigned in the Centralized Arraignment Part and released on his own recognizance to return to the village of Chester court at a later date. Custody of Titov was turned over to the Haverstraw Police Department for an outstanding warrant.

The Sheriff’s Office added that the investigation is continuing, and additional charges are pending.

Orange County Sheriff Paul Arteta thanked all partnering agencies for their joint effort during this extensive process. “The success of this incident is due greatly to our partners in Rockland County. We appreciate the patience of the residents from the area and the support from all of our local partners, including Chester Town Supervisor Brandon Holdridge, who quickly offered resources for the affected residents. This really was a joint effort on all parts.”

Sheriff Arteta reminded residents, “If you see something, say something. Report any suspicious activity immediately to law enforcement.”

The office thanked the Rockland County Sheriff’s Office, Rockland County Bomb Disposal Unit and Crime Scene Unit, village and town of Chester police departments, JTTF, ATF, Orange County District Attorney’s Office, multiple K9 units from across the county, and several fire and EMS agencies who assisted on scene.