No Jail For Man Who Brought Homemade Explosive To Sea Bright Bar

SEA BRIGHT, NJ - A South Plainfield man who admitted to bringing an explosive to a popular Sea Bright bar last summer will not be getting any prison time, prosecutors said Tuesday.

As part of a plea bargain, Thomas Kaiser, 56, who prosecutors say brought homemade explosives to Donovan’s Reef in 2019, was sentenced to a year on probation on Oct. 20 by Monmouth County Superior Court Judge Lourdes Lucas.

Kaiser pleaded guilty to two counts of possessing a prohibited weapon and one count of tampering with evidence.

The Sept. 2 incident, which saw Kaiser hand off a homemade explosive to a member of the house band, caused an evacuation of the facility on one of the busiest nights of the season and a visit from the state police bomb unit.

Although the incident also prompted the cancellation of the South Plainfield Labor Day Parade after the man dumped additional explosives near his home the next morning when he learned he was the subject of investigation, Kaiser’s no-jail plea bargain was concocted after investigators found no intent to cause harm or injury following a phone and computer search, according to the Asbury Park Press.

As a condition of the bargain, Kaiser was required to surrender his firearms purchaser’s identification card, handgun permit and all firearms he owns. He is also ordered to undergo a mental health evaluation and is banned from returning to the Sea Bright bar.

The South Plainfield man’s attorney also argued that his client didn’t know his hobby of fashioning homemade fireworks was illegal.

According to the Asbury Park Press, Lucas mentioned Kaiser had no prior record of any offenses and no violations while he awaited disposition of the case. He also noted that Kaiser has been a plumber for 35 years.

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