MERIDEN, Conn. — A man has been arrested for calling in bomb threats to Jonas Labs in Meriden back in February.
Meriden police said Gamalier Santiago, 29, who was an employee at the lab was arrested for both threats on two warrants charging him with Threatening in the First Degree and a $25,000 bond on each. He was taken into custody in Massachusetts on October 6 and is awaiting extradition to Connecticut to face those charges.
The original incident took place on February 9, when police said a bomb threat was called in at 9:49 a.m. to Jonal Labs at 456 Center St. The phone call prompted the evacuation of the business as well as a satellite office location on Pratt St.
All rail traffic through Meriden was also shut down due to the business's close proximity to the train tracks. A nearby family-owned restaurant, La Azoguenita, was also forced to evacuate and close.
Several area residents were asked to evacuate and also prohibited from returning to their residences.
On February 21, at 9::16 a.m. a second incident occurred where a bomb threat was called in to Jonal Labs. This bomb threat caused the same level of disruption as the first incident on February 9, 2023.
With temperatures in the mid-40s, police were forced to order buses for both bomb threats in order to keep the evacuated workers warm. Many were forced to evacuate without proper cold-weather gear. These threats tied up officers from the Patrol, Detective Bureau. Neighborhood Initiative Unit, and Administrative Staff.
Additionally, fire personnel, command staff, and fire Apparatus were tied up at the scene as well.
These threats took hours to secure and control perimeters around both Jonal locations as we brought in specially trained bomb detection dogs for both threats. The K-9s, handlers and Officers conducted methodical searches of both locations on both dates.
The threats caused the closure of businesses and stopped rail traffic which negatively financially impacted many citizens.
A conservative estimate of the financial impact of these threats to those involved is approximately $63,000, with the highest cost associated with the stopping of rail service on both dates.
A series of technological tools with the help of multiple agencies were used to help identify Santiago as a suspect.
Santiago’s mother, Rosa Alvis, was also arrested during this investigation for Interfering with a Police Investigation.
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