Man Who Threatened VTA with Suicide Bombing Now in Custody

A man who allegedly threatened to carry out a suicide bombing on a Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) vehicle has been taken into custody, authorities said.

Forty-two-year-old Jonathan Keim reportedly phoned and emailed his message this morning, telling the VTA that he would target the agency’s fleet because the county failed to give him a bus pass to make it to his mental health check-up.

“I have a bomb strapped to my body,” the email read, per the Mercury News. “I am going to blow up a transit vehicle of my choosing. You do not know or (sic) where I will strike.”

Keim reportedly has a history of emailing public officials on a range of topics, including mental health. But officials said this was the first time he made an explicit threat.

The Sheriff’s Office, which provides law enforcement services for the transit agency, sent deputies and bomb-detection dogs to Keim’s home, officials said. 

“No bomb making material was observed by deputies,” sheriff’s spokesman Sgt. Richard Glennon said. “Nor did the K9s detect any explosive chemicals.”

Sheriff’s deputies conducted security sweeps on all VTA vehicles this morning and arrested Keim two hours after he allegedly sent his threat, according to VTA spokeswoman Stacey Hendler-Ross. Investigators are still in the process of reviewing security camera footage. Meanwhile, the VTA has resumed normal service.

Today’s successful investigation was a great example of the slogan, ‘See Something, Say Something,’” Sgt. Glennon said in a press release. 

Jennifer Wadsworth is the former news editor for San Jose Inside and Metro Silicon Valley. Follow her on Twitter at @jennwadsworth.

8 Comments

  1. Instead of the county spending millions of dollars on benefits for illegal aliens should we not be spending that money on locking people like this in a safe facility?

      • Jake,
        Just 2 days ago LA said it plans on coming up with $10 million to aid illegals avoid deportation.
        See Mercury News story dated Nov 28, 2016 related to Santa Clara County.
        See state of California web site “Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants” (CAPI).
        See San Jose insider Nov 14 2016 artical by Josh Koehn.
        Throw in the rest of the blue cities and states and the funds grow to several hundred million avalible now!

  2. > Keim reportedly has a history of emailing public officials on a range of topics, including mental health. But officials said this was the first time he made an explicit threat.

    Just wondering.

    Has he ever emailed public officials about stopping global warming?

  3. It’s an example is “see something, say something”??? How does that make sense? The guys sends an email saying he’s going to blow up a VTA vehicle, how does that fit the “slogan”? The Sheriffs Office doesn’t have the most intelligent people working for them.

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