LOGAN, Utah, Jan. 17, 2025 (Gephardt Daily) — A bomb squad was called to a dorm at Utah State University Thursday morning after a fire alarm went off and investigators found a student with large amounts of chemicals in his room.
“Officers and Fire soon met with Joshua Jager who claimed to have been boiling water and vinegar to make potatoes,” says a court document filed by USU police in the arrest of Jager, 20.
“Upon entering the room, officers and fire (personnel) discovered a large amount of chemicals inside. Amongst the chemicals were things such as silver nitrate, potassium carbonate, and many more chemicals. Officers also observed various machinery, tools, and large quantities of batteries. Officers began to suspect that there was possible drug or explosive making.
“Bomb technicians were called to the scene where they confiscated various chemicals. Jager denied any bomb or drug making inside his dorm room. The room was later deemed to be safe by the bomb technicians and Jager was warned to remove all chemicals from his room and cease any cooking in his dorm room.”
During questioning at the USU Police station, “Jager claimed that he received the chemicals years before and again claimed that he did not use any of the chemicals to create any sort of explosive or drug. Later in the interview, the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force joined the interview and questioned Jager regarding any ties that he has to any terroristic organizations. Jager denied any ties to these and stated he made a mistake by bringing the chemicals to his dorm.
“Jager was then warned by the FBI and Your Affiant that Jager’s conduct must immediately cease.” He was told to call 911 if he found more chemicals, the statement says.
About six hours later, at 7:43 p.m. Thursday, a fire alarm went off again, and first responders again responded to Jager’s room at Mountain View Tower.
“Upon officer arrival, Jager approached officers and admitted that he set the alarm off again. Jager stated that he found more chemicals and was attempting to ‘neutralize’ them. Jager stated that this caused a large amount of gas to accumulate and caused the fire alarm to go off.
While entering the dorm building, officers noted the whole first floor “was covered in a fog or vaporous substance, later determined to be hydrochloric acid in gaseous form. Initial responding officers reported strong chemical smells throughout the first floor of Mountain View Tower.”
The fire alarm prompted a mass evacuation of every individual that lived in Mountain View Tower, the statement says.
“Due to the gaseous substance being on the first floor, all individuals were required to walk through the gaseous substance, creating a contamination issue. A large EMS response followed with Logan Fire, Logan HAZMAT, USU Police, and many other USU entities required to deal with the catastrophe. An initial estimate of clean up and restoration costs was approximately $10,000 to $20,000, while labor and overtime costs have yet to be determined but will be substantial.
“Residents of Mountain View Tower were displaced from their living space for many hours in subzero temperatures.”
Jager was arrested for investigation of causing a catastrophe, a class A misdemeanor; and disorderly conduct after being asked to cease, a class C misdemeanor. His bail was set at $2,500.
