The Maui Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are investigating a blast Thursday night from an improvised explosive device that detonated in a trash can — damaging a sport utility vehicle passing near it in Pukalani.
The explosion happened a little more than six hours after the FBI and MPD issued a joint statement asking for witnesses and information about IEDs left in Kahului and Pukalani.
On Friday night, Maui police evacuated areas of Wailuku and closed streets in connection with the investigation and search for the unidentified bomber.
In a statement released Friday afternoon, the FBI and MPD said the blast “was caused by an improvised explosive device, which had been placed in a nearby trash receptacle. The explosion struck a passing vehicle.”
FBI agents and police officers have identified and collected “several IEDs which vary in size and shape, and has rendered them safe.”
Jess Weatherholt, who lives near the scene, told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser in an interview that she and some neighbors ran to the white Kia SUV after hearing the explosion to see if anyone needed help.
That’s when “we saw the lady with her car all busted up,” she said.
In photos taken by Weatherholt, damage that can be seen on the SUV includes its driver’s-side windows blown out and its side exterior riddled with marks from shrapnel. There was a hole by the rear passenger door near the damaged window.
“She was completely distraught, sitting in the back seat of her car shaking and sobbing,” said Weatherholt. “Myself and a couple of the neighbors went up to her and made sure she was not (seriously) injured.”
Weatherholt and her neighbors were able to find a family member of the female driver to come help her.
“The one individual at the scene declined treatment from Fire and EMS,” said Christopher Stankis, a Maui firefighter and spokesperson for the department.
According to the statement from the FBI and MPD, the IEDs that have been found, that did not explode, were “located along roadways between Kahului and Kula, and were concealed from view in trash receptacles or other areas outside of plain view.”
The FBI and MPD “continue to urge the public to be cautious of any unknown object.”
“The recovered device from (Thursday’s) press release is a seven-inch by four-inch cylinder shape. Forensic review is ongoing to determine how these devices were configured to detonate,” read the statement.
Exactly how many IEDs were discovered before Thursday’s blast has not been made public. MPD’s bomb squad located and rendered useless an IED found near the fence line of Kahului Elementary School on July 23, according to a county news release at the time.
It is also not known whether threats are being made about the explosives before they are planted or if law enforcement is made aware only after members of the public find them.
At about 9 p.m. Thursday night, Maui firefighters and police closed Old Haleakala Highway in both directions up to Makani Road after responding to multiple reports of a loud explosion and a motor vehicle accident.
According to the Maui 24/7 Facebook page, witnesses posted that “a vehicle was driving up Old Haleakala Hwy. when the driver saw an explosion on the road on the driver’s side of her car. The explosion shattered her windows and ripped holes in the driver’s side of her vehicle.”
The woman’s car was near Ikea Place in Pukalani when it was allegedly hit by the IED. The highway was closed from about 9 p.m. until 4 a.m. Friday morning.
Followers of the Maui 24/7 site posted where they were when they heard the explosion or saw a bright flash before hearing a loud bang. Some described the scene with the SUV as others uploaded security camera footage that captured the sound.
Others expressed fear about the IEDs and shock that one blew up and sidelined a vehicle.
Leilani Fagan posted on Maui 24/7’s Facebook page that her house “shook, it sounded like there was an explosion underneath.” Fagan looked and didn’t see anything, but saw her neighbors running down the road, according to her post.
“I followed and at the beginning of Ikea (Place) there was a white SUV blocking the entrance to the road. It was riddled with gouges and puncture marks on the side and her windows were broken. The driver said it was not a car accident. She thought it was an explosion and needless to say she was very shook up and scared. She is lucky to have minor injuries. The police and firemen showed up a few minutes later and closed the Section of old Haleakala Highway and Ikea. They’re taking the vehicle as part of the ‘crime’ scene and examining the concrete and debris all over the road where the explosion took place. There is a suspicion that it’s a pipe bomb however this is not confirmed until further investigation!!” read her post at about midnight.
Vicki Fanucchi also posted about Wednesday night’s explosion.
“I’m a couple blocks up in Kua Aina Ridge and was out on our deck and it was such a bright flash then about a second or so later the loudest boom. I felt it,” Fanucchi wrote.
Maui police and the FBI are investigating. Old Haleakala Highway did not reopen until 4 a.m. Friday.
“The FBI and Maui Police Department continue to work jointly on an investigation into recent reports of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) on the Island of Maui, including last night’s incident in Pukalani,” read a joint statement to the Star-Advertiser from the FBI and MPD.
“We ask the public to remain vigilant and promptly report suspicious activities that could present a threat to public safety. If you see something suspicious in the road, such as an object that appears out of place, do not touch, drive over, or go near it for any reason,” read the statement. “If possible, keep others away from the area and call 911 immediately.”
“Public safety is our top priority, and we are committed to ensuring our community remains safe and secure,” the FBI and MPD said.
“We thank the community for their cooperation and vigilance,” they said.
Authorities ask the public to report any tips to tips.fbi.gov or 800-CALLFBI (800-225-5324).
An Upcountry Maui resident who asked not to be identified because no one has been arrested in connection with the explosion told the Star-Advertiser in an interview that he was in the place where the SUV got hit about 15-20 minutes before it went off.
“I was coming back down Old Haleakala Highway when it went off. I listen to music pretty loud but it was like this weird noise. It wasn’t a firework noise or any kind of noise I heard before. And it was just like, the easiest way to describe it was ‘kaboom.’ It was loud. My dog … started freaking out (in the car),” said the man.
“I braked, on instinct … and then I looked around. It didn’t process in the moment … what it was. Obviously, my first feeling was … I was terrified. It could have been me if I had been a little bit later. There has just been so much crap happening on Maui, that I don’t know how to feel. Obviously, I’m really upset and terrified and p—d off but at the same time, I’m just like ‘what’s next?’ because there has been so many … things that have happened in the last year.”
