Explosive device thrown into Verizon Van leads to arson charges for Brooklyn driver

August 8, 2024 Robert Abruzzese, Courthouse Editor

The intersection of President Street and Brooklyn Avenue in Crown Heights, the site of the Jan. 31, 2024, road rage incident involving a bomb thrown into a Verizon utility van. Screenshot via Google Street View

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A Brooklyn man was charged with arson after allegedly throwing a bomb into a Verizon utility van during a road rage incident in Crown Heights, causing an explosion that injured two repairmen and extensively damaged the vehicle.

Kevindale Nurse, 36, allegedly threw the bomb into a Verizon utility van during a road rage incident on Jan. 31, 2024, at the intersection of President St. and Brooklyn Ave. in Crown Heights.

Nurse, who was driving a white minibus with his 4-year-old son, allegedly became enraged and attacked the van after cutting it off in traffic.

“As alleged, Nurse deliberately threw an explosive device into the window of another vehicle on a public road, endangering the lives of the vehicle’s occupants and others in the area,” said U.S. Attorney Breon Peace. “Unfortunately, road rage is an all-too-common occurrence in our communities. But this dangerous and senseless attack on a busy intersection in the heart of Brooklyn was beyond the pale.”

Nurse, arrested Thursday, made his initial appearance that afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Lara Eshkenazi.

According to court filings, on the evening of Jan. 31, Nurse, who was driving a white minibus with his 4-year-old son as a passenger, cut off a Verizon utility van. The two Verizon repairmen in the van were working that day on high-speed data lines and fiberoptic equipment. Surveillance video captured Nurse driving erratically before stopping the minibus next to the Verizon van at the intersection of President St. and Brooklyn Ave. in Crown Heights.

Nurse allegedly opened the door of the minibus and threw an explosive device into the driver’s-side window of the Verizon van, causing an explosion inside the vehicle. The two Verizon repairmen sustained multiple injuries, and their van was extensively damaged by the blast.

If convicted, Nurse faces a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years in prison and a maximum of 40 years in prison. The government’s case is being handled by the office’s General Crimes Section, with Assistant United States Attorney Megan Larkin leading the prosecution.