Mahopac Residents Shocked After Arsenal Is Discovered In Neighbor's Home
MAHOPAC, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- Residents in sleepy Mahopac were talking Saturday about an arsenal of explosive materials, weapons and ammunition that were found in a neighbor's home.
The resident -- Jonathan Orser, 41, of Mahopac -- was found dead of a shotgun wound to the chest after his wife returned to their East Lake Boulevard home from a social engagement around 11:35 p.m. Tuesday night, police said.
The explosives were found after investigators learned Orser was a gun enthusiast and might have automatic weapons in the house.
Weapons, Explosives, Tank Found At Mahopac Home
"You can't make this stuff up," one woman said.
Residents on the idyllic stretch along Lake Mahopac in Putnam County were still shaking their heads after the discovery, WCBS 880's Peter Haskell reported.
"We live so close, and everybody works so close – it's extremely dangerous," a man said.
The Westchester Bomb Squad and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives responded to the scene Thursday evening to remove the items from the home. Several neighbors were evacuated for much of the day.
"Whatever they had in there could blow the windows off my house, which, of course, scared me," the woman said.
The final count on Friday included more than 100 hand guns, rifles, shotguns, tubs of black powder, ammunition, and military ordinance, CBS 2's Jessica Schneider reported.
The bomb squad and AFT removed blasting caps, low explosive powders, hand grenades, a large amount of ammunition, and a large cache of automatic weapons, police said.
"He also had a large container of blasting caps that are very volatile and could have set the whole house off," Chief Johnson said.
Among the weapons were a Browning .50-caliber machine gun and a .30-caliber machine CBS 2's John Slattery reported.
A decommissioned military tank was also discovered in the backyard, WCBS 880's Peter Haskell reported.
Military ordinance found stored in the basement was being removed by the 725-Explosive Ordinance Disposal Unit based in Fort Drum and transported to West Point for disposal, police said.
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