Swastika at Long Island high school leads cops to explosives at 15-year-old boy's home

Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News on Apr 23, 2026

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NEW YORK — A swastika found scrawled on a bathroom wall at a Long Island high school led police to a cache of explosive chemicals in the teen vandal’s home purchased by the boy’s father, Nassau police said Thursday.

Now the 15-year-old Syosset resident and his 48-year-old father are facing a raft of charges stemming from the explosives found in their home on Patricia Lane.

Nassau County Police were called to investigate a hate crime at Syosset High School on South Woods Road after the swastika was found on the bathroom wall Wednesday morning.

When cops went to the teen suspect’s home about 1:30 p.m. that day, they discovered chemicals at the house that had been combined to create explosive materials, officials said.

Cops evacuated the home, as well as several neighboring homes, as the Nassau County fire marshal, an Arson Bomb Squad and the Nassau County Police Emergency Services Unit were called in to do a sweep.

A Hazardous Material Response Team was also called in to carefully remove the chemicals.

Responding police had to ultimately ignite some of the chemicals in a controlled environment due to its volatility out of an abundance of caution, police sources told News 12 Long Island.

Investigators determined the chemicals were purchased by the teen’s father, Francisco Sanles. He allegedly bought the chemicals over several months, cops said.

Police charged Sanles with criminal possession of a weapon, criminal facilitation, endangering the welfare of a child and reckless endangerment.

His son was charged with weapons possession, criminal mischief, aggravated harassment and making graffiti for the swastika found in his high school bathroom.

Their arraignments were pending Thursday.