Lathrop Police and the San Joaquin County Metro Bomb Squad are looking for somebody they believe is planting explosive devices around Lathrop.

On Sunday, the Lathrop Manteca Fire District discovered the second explosive device within a one-week span while extinguishing a dumpster fire on Harlan Road behind the In-Shape health club. During the investigation of the fire, personnel came across a device that was similar to the one that was discovered earlier in the week outside of the Lathrop Senior Center.

According to Lathrop Police Chief Ryan Biederman, the materials and the construction were similar enough that authorities believe the same person is responsible.

Nobody has been injured by the devices currently, and authorities are checking every available piece of surveillance footage they can find in order to determine who is responsible for leaving them behind and what their intentions are.

“Right now, we’re reviewing our cameras here in Lathrop and surveillance cameras from businesses that may show the person to see if we can identify the individual that is responsible,” Biederman said. “Now there are multiple investigations that are overlapping on this with the fire element on Sunday, so we’ve got people to track this person down before somebody gets hurt.”

Described by authorities as a “cricket bomb” the crudely-made device appears to be a bottle packed with explosives and timed with a wick – something that would have to be lit in order to detonate.

According to the Lathrop Manteca Fire District, the device was found “near” the dumpster that was on fire when firefighters arrived, and it is unknown whether the person who planted the device also started the fire. An investigation into the cause of that fire is ongoing while law enforcement searches every available avenue to try and find the person responsible.

Biederman said that while discovering ordinances and explosives in not rare, the fact that two devices that are similar enough to leave investigators to believe that the same person created them are found within the same week raises more than a few eyebrows.

And now, investigators are looking at past calls for explosions and possible fires to determine whether those may have been connected to this unbeknownst to officials at that time.

“We find explosives and different ordinances all the time, but for it to be a serial thing – where they’re identical to make you believe it’s the same suspect – is on the rarer side,” Biederman said. “That gives it a little bit more, and we’re trying to exhaust every possible lead that we can find to track this person down.

“We get calls about explosions that people hear or fires that start randomly all the time, and we don’t know if those are related to this yet – we’re chasing down every lead we can.”

The device that was discovered on Sunday was taken away by explosive ordinance experts and detonated safely so that it could not injure anybody.

The San Joaquin County Metro Bomb Squad – which is ran by the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office with assistance from local jurisdictions who serve as part of the team – is taking the lead on the investigation.

If anybody discovers something that appears to be an explosive or even something that is suspicious, authorities encourage people not to approach the device and to leave the area – making sure other people don’t go near it – and call 911 immediately.

Anybody with any information about the device that was found outside of the Lathrop Senior Center or on Sunday near the dumpster fire is encouraged to contact the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office at 209.468.4400.

To contact reporter Jason Campbell email jcampbell@mantecabulletin.com or call 209.249.3544.