Man Sentenced for Bringing Explosive Device into Bethlehem-Area ER

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced that Brian James Kunsman, 46, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania was sentenced to 77 months’ imprisonment and 3 years of supervised release by United States District Court Judge Jeffrey L. Schmehl, for possession of an unregistered destructive device.

In October of 2021, the defendant possessed a ‘pipe bomb’ inside the emergency room at St. Luke’s University Hospital in the Fountain Hill section of the City of Bethlehem. An attending nurse discovered that Kunsman had brought the homemade destructive device in his backpack while he was a patient at the emergency room. Following the discovery, the emergency department of the hospital was evacuated for a four-hour period and all incoming trauma patients had to be diverted to other local hospitals.

"Homemade explosive devices are a dangerous threat in any circumstance; prompting an evacuation in an emergency department where patients are receiving acute medical care is unconscionable," said U.S. Attorney Romero.   We are grateful to our law enforcement partners for working quickly and efficiently to ensure the safety of everyone impacted by Kunsman's actions."

“The defendant engaged in incredibly reckless behavior, endangering the lives of the hospital staff, patients, and first responders,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Eric DeGree.  “We appreciate the support of the United States Attorney’s office and our state and local law enforcement partners throughout this investigation,”

The case was investigated by the Allentown Field Office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Borough of Fountain Hill Police Department, the Allentown Bomb Squad, and the Lehigh County District Attorney’s Office, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kelly A. Lewis Fallenstein.