EYEWITNESS NEWS (WBRE/WYOU) — The suspect involved in over 150 school and other bomb threats across multiple states including Pennsylvania has been identified, according to police.

According to the Hazleton City Police Department, on Tuesday the U.S. Attorney’s Office South District of New York successfully identified 33-year-old Eddie Manuel Nunez-Santos, aka “Lucas”, a Peruvian National to have been the source of making hoax bomb threats.

The threats occurred between September 15-23 to more than 150 school districts, synagogues, airports, hospitals, and shopping malls.

Investigators stated the threats spanned multiple states, including New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Arizona, and Alaska, and resulted in massive disruptions to the targeted communities, including evacuations of thousands of schools, and children, a lockdown of a hospital, and flight delays. 

Detectives said Nunez-Santos is also charged with attempting to entice a 15-year-old girl to take and send him nude and sexually explicit photographs, and he allegedly sent the bomb threats in retaliation against her and other minors after they refused his requests for child pornography.

Nunez-Santos faces the following charges for the crimes he has committed;

  • Transmitting threatening interstate communications
    • Carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison
  • Conveying false information and hoaxes
    • Which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison
  • Attempting to sexually exploit a child
    • Carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison
  • Attempting to coerce and entice a minor
    • Which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison
  • Attempting to receive child pornography
    • Carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.  

Dozens of schools, businesses, and places of worship were impacted by the threats during the week-long span.