Bomb Scare Suspect Held on $50K Bail

The man accused of dropping a bag near a Homeland Security vehicle in the Financial District Friday was held on $50,000 bail during his arraignment Monday , prompting an evacuation of the area and a controlled detonation of the device is due in court to be arraigned Monday.

James Derepentigny, 50, of Lawrence, pleaded not guilty to charges of planting a hoax device after he reportedly left a package containing wires at Seaport and Atlantic Street just before 10 a.m. Friday. The man walked away after dropping the device at Seaport Boulevard and Atlantic Avenue, but not before snapping a selfie, myfoxboston.com reports.

Watch video of the detonation here.

Police identified caught up with Derepentigny later on Friday, after several 911 calls from people who knew him and saw his picture on TV. He reportedly told some friends and family that his picture was on TV and he was wanted by police.

Derepentigny admitted to putting the suitcase next to the Homeland Security vehicle,prosecutors told the court Monday, saying he was trying to help the federal agency.

“When the officers asked him more about the bag he indicated that he did place it at that location to, in his words, ‘Help Homeland Security.’ When he was asked further, he at that time asked for a lawyer and the interview ended,” the prosecutor said, according to WHDH, 7 News.

Surveillance video caught a man walking up to the SUV, putting down the package and then leaving the scene, they report. The package appeared to have some sort of power source and wires in it.

The BPD Explosive Ordinance Unit detonated the suitcase-like package in a wooded area of the median on the Rose Kennedy Greenway, finding there was no explosive device in the suitcase.

Boston Police Commissioner William Evans said investigators do not believe the package contained an explosive. But police plan to question the man caught on surveillance video leaving the package.

“We do not believe there was anything of a nature that would lead us to believe there were explosives inside, but out of an abundance of caution we went about as if it were,” Evans said.

Photos courtesy of WHDH, 7 News.