NASSAU COUNTY, N.Y. — A North Merrick man has been sentenced to nine years in prison for plotting to detonate an explosive device outside the Nassau County Department of Social Services (NCDSS) building and for a series of financial crimes, prosecutors announced.
Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly said James Luca, 47, pleaded guilty on June 2, 2025, to first-degree criminal possession of a weapon and obstructing governmental duties by means of an explosive device. The charges stem from a September 2024 attempt to bomb the NCDSS building in Uniondale.
According to investigators, Luca left his home in the early morning hours of Sept. 17, 2024, met with a co-defendant, and drove to the NCDSS facility on Charles Lindbergh Boulevard. While the accomplice acted as a lookout, Luca placed two propane tanks—one weighing 20 pounds and another smaller camping tank—near the building’s entrance and attempted to ignite them using road flares and a torch. The device failed to explode, and the pair fled the scene.
The device was later discovered by an NCDSS official, prompting an emergency response from the Nassau County Police Department’s Arson and Bomb Squad, local fire departments, and the Fire Marshal’s Office. The building was evacuated and the device safely secured.
During the investigation, police uncovered additional propane tanks, flares, and an abandoned vehicle connected to the crime. Luca and his co-defendant were arrested on Oct. 3, 2024.
In addition to the attempted bombing, Luca admitted to placing and detonating an explosive device on his ex-wife’s vehicle in February 2023, shattering her windshield, and causing further damage to her car in a separate January 2024 incident.
Luca also pleaded guilty to multiple financial crimes, including mortgage fraud, identity theft, grand larceny, forgery, and schemes to defraud. Prosecutors said he forged loan documents and a deed to steal property from a relative, securing a fraudulent $410,000 mortgage that later went into foreclosure. He also accumulated more than $200,000 in unpaid credit card debt using stolen personal information and fraudulently obtained utility services at several properties.
Luca was sentenced to nine years in prison followed by five years of post-release supervision.
“This defendant’s actions terrorized public servants and endangered lives,” Donnelly said. “He repeatedly chose criminal behavior and belongs behind bars.”
