Pennsylvania teen charged with making bomb threat at Boston store on Newbury Street

BOSTON — A Pennsylvania teen is facing charges after allegedly making a bomb threat at a store in Boston on Newbury Street,

19-year-old Lucas Lembck is being charged with one count of bomb/hijack threat after passing a note containing a bomb threat to a stranger while at a store the day before, Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden announced.

Around 12:40 p.m. on March 18, Boston police responded to Urban Outfitters at the corner of Newbury Street and Massachusetts Avenue.

Officers met with the victim outside, who told them that while shopping in Urban Outfitters an unknown male, later identified as Lembck, approached him and said “It’s national Starburst day, I want you to have this,” and passed him a note along with a yellow Starburst.

According to the DA, the note read, “I have a bomb don’t say a (expletive) word.” When the victim looked up, the suspect was gone.

The victim gave police a description of the suspect and told them he was carrying a backpack.

Boston police security footage from the store observed the victim with an individual matching the suspect’s description, who is holding what appeared to be the note

While speaking to officers, the victim alerted them to a person he believed to be Lembck across Newbury Street.

Officers approached Lembck and asked if he had recently been in Urban Outfitters. Lembck said, “I don’t believe so.” After being read his Miranda rights Lembck admitted to officers he had been in Urban Outfitters and that he had passed a note to someone while inside.

When asked why, Lembck said “it was dumb” and that he was “trying to be funny” and thought the victim would know it was a “prank.”

Officers inquired what color Starburst was handed to the victim and Lembck told them “yellow.”

Officers recovered paper inside Lembck’s jacket pocket matching the note given to the victim. Officers also recovered from Lembck one opened and several unopened packages of Starbursts, the DA said.

“It’s difficult to fathom how in this day and age anyone would consider it a prank to hand a note to a perfect stranger in the middle of a major city indicating they were holding a bomb. As this case indicates, such a reckless action causes fear and comes with consequences,” Hayden said.

Lembck was released on personal recognizance and is due back in court on April 14 for a pre-trial hearing.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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