Mira Mesa resident accused of using bombs to steal from ATMs

A Mira Mesa man used a pair of homemade bombs to try to blow open ATM machines in San Diego, authorities allege, but he didn’t make off with any cash.

Instead, he came away with federal charges.

According to federal authorities, 44-year-old Son Nguyen made two failed attempts to steal cash from ATM machines in the University City and Rancho Bernardo neighborhoods in June. Investigators said they identified Nguyen as the lead suspect after reviewing surveillance video and identifying him through his vehicle registration and facial features.

On Friday, authorities arrested Nguyen and charged him with two counts of using explosives to damage property. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison if convicted.

“Fortunately, neither of these incidents resulted in injury or successful theft of cash,” U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath in San Diego said Friday in a news release. “With the discovery of chemicals and equipment in the search today, future attempts were also thwarted.”

Authorities accused a San Diego man of using explosives to try to steal from ATM machines.

(United States Attorney’s Office)

Both incidents happened in the pre-dawn hours. Authorities allege that Nguyen made his first attempt on June 8 at an ATM outside of a California Coast Credit Union, using a makeshift bomb constructed from a five-gallon blue plastic container with a white spout and black plastic pipe. The device caused an explosion, but no cash was taken, according to the Justice Department.

Just a few weeks later, law enforcement allege, Nguyen targeted an ATM at a First Citizen’s Bank in Rancho Bernardo about 20 miles north of the initial attempt, using the same technique. This time, the electrical wiring at the ATM caught fire, authorities said, causing smoke but not enabling theft of money.

Neither the San Diego Fire Department nor the U.S. Attorney’s Office provided an estimate of the property damage that occurred.

In a search of Nguyen’s residence, investigators found the ingredients needed to make black powder and other equipment and clothing believed to have been used in the attempted robberies, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. A mixture of potassium nitrate, charcoal and sulfur, black powder is a type of explosive that can be made simply at home with household products and other chemicals available online.

It’s not the first time that would-be thieves have tried to blow open an ATM for what they assumed would be a quick smash and grab, only to come away empty-handed.

Two years ago, a detonation at a Bank of America ATM in Palmdale was so large, it burst store windows and could be heard a mile away. Even with the strength of the blast, the ATM still did not give up its contents. There have been no arrests in that case.