NEW BRITAIN, Conn.—A person who has been identified as the CFO of a credit union here and believed to have been abducted as part of a home invasion/robbery, was discovered inside his car outside his office wearing what was suspected to be a bomb, leading to a large police response, street closures, school lockdowns and the evacuation of nearby apartments.
Reuters and several other news outlets have identified the man as Matthew Yussman, CFO at Achieve Financial Credit Union. Local media reported Yussman was taken away from the scene in handcuffs as a precaution in an ambulance, after the bomb squad was able to remove the device from his body.
Three suspects are now being sought in a crime that police said involved an invasion of Yussman's home in Bristol, Conn. on the Sunday night, Feb. 22. Media reports have said that Yussman and his mother were taken hostage, and that the mother was strapped to a bed, under which the suspects placed what they said was a bomb. At some point Monday morning, the suspects attached another device they said was a bomb to Yussman and forced him to drive to the credit union, where a robbery was apparently planned. However, Yussman was able to contact a co-worker while still in his car outside the credit union, and the co-worker alerted police.
Once police arrived, Yussman never entered the credit union. The device identified as a bomb has been turned over to the FBI, who have yet to say whether or not it was an actual explosive device.
During a news conference here, New Britain Police Chief James Wardwell released few details, saying only that "We're considering all possibilities - whether or not he was coerced, doing something against his will or a suspect," Wardwell said during a late-afternoon news conference.
The police have yet to provide descriptions of the suspects being sought.
The branch was closed while police cordoned off the area, but the credit union has a statement on its website today that all of its branches are open during regular hours. CUToday.info will continue to update the story as details are released.
On its website, AFCU stated it is "pleased that our employee and his family member were not harmed. The credit union is fully cooperating with the police while they investigate the incident. We would like to apologize for any inconvenience this situation has caused our members and note that all of our credit union locations are back to full operation."