A Long Island man was sentenced Tuesday to nine years in prison for attempting to bomb a Nassau County social services building after losing custody of his children, authorities said.
James Luca, a 47-year-old North Merrick resident, was initially charged with terrorism in the case. He pleaded guilty in June to felony first-degree weapons possession and obstruction of government work using an explosive device, the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office said in a press release.
“James Luca is a dangerous man whose unhinged actions created panic at the Department of Social Services and terrorized public servants in our county,” said District Attorney Anne Donnelly. “This is not a man who should be free to walk our streets.”
According to prosecutors, Luca committed multiple crimes while getting divorced from his ex-wife, including placing a small explosive in her car in February 2023 and damaging the vehicle again in January 2024. The explosive shattered the woman’s windshield.
After losing visitation rights with his children, Luca and an accomplice — 26-year-old Jayson Reyes — drove to the Nassau County Department of Social Service building on Sept. 17, 2024, with an improvised explosive device.
While Reyes kept watch, Luca placed a 20-gallon propane tank at the front door with a torch on top of it, police said. He walked away throwing lit flares at the device, but he missed on all his tosses and the bomb never went off.
The building was eventually cleared, and no one was injured.
