SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Sacramento Police arrested a 23-year-old Sunday night in connection to two explosions that occurred over the course of last week, just a few blocks apart, in South Oak Park. But concern is still lingering with neighbors.
"I heard a great big crash," said Barbara Jans. "I thought something had hit the side of my house, and then later, I looked out the window and saw the police cars."
The first of the two explosions occurred on Sunday, Jan. 23. The second happened five days later on Jan. 28.
While no injuries occurred, the detonations appeared to be from homemade explosive devices officers found inside the unoccupied cars that they were left in.
"What if a kid had been walking by? Or anybody? Me? I walk around in my neighborhood," Jans said.
Police arrested 23-year-old Cody Wiggs after service a search warrant. They said in their press release they found two active pipe bombs as well as additional evidence Wiggs detonated one of the bombs on 19th Avenue and 32nd Street.
This isn't Wiggs' first run in with the law.
According to the Sacramento Court system, Wiggs is currently on probation after being arrested in 2020 for carrying a concealed dagger, and San Joaquin County's system shows he had a warrant out for his arrest.
San Joaquin County court records show he's been arrested multiple times between 2017 and 2021 for being armed with a loaded firearm. He has also been arrested for possession of "a controlled substance for sale and possession of a narcotic for sale." He was also arrested for vandalism in 2017.
Now, Wiggs is facing felony charges for the pipe bombs and is being held without bail in the Sacramento County jail.
"We didn't expect it was a bomb," said resident Grace Claro. "We thought it was only fireworks."
Many who ABC10 spoke with were shocked that the noise they heard was actually a bomb.
"This (was) really scary because it's the first time it's happened in this neighborhood," said Claro, who has lived in the neighborhood for 10-plus years.
Some said they've heard similar sounds for quite some time. Jans said she has heard a loud boom almost nightly for months.
"I guess what I've been hearing, maybe I should've said something, but it happened for so long. It happened for months, and I never heard sirens," Jans said. "It would just be like one (boom)."
It's concern like this that was echoed in a Reddit thread between locals.
One user commenting others are saying "there may be at least five in the last few months."
Another user commented saying, "This has been going on for the last couple of years actually. The police kept denying it and telling residents to report it as illegal fireworks."
ABC10 reached out to the Sacramento Police Department, who provided the following response below.
The Sacramento Police Department investigates calls where suspected explosions have occurred, illegal explosive materials are discovered, or incendiary devices have been located. The department also responds to hundreds of reports a year regarding the use of illegal fireworks, and we highly encourage the community to report any suspicious or criminal activity immediately. The department takes these reports very seriously, and is doing everything we can to protect our city from these devices that pose an extreme danger and threaten the safety of our community.
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