NEWARK, N.J. -- A Point Pleasant Borough man has been charged with planning to build a bomb in support of ISIS and detonate it at a busy spot in New York City, authorities said Friday.

Gregory Lepsky, 20, is charged with one count of attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, acting U.S. Attorney William Fitzpatrick and acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security Dana Boente announced.

The complaint, released on Friday, accuses Lepsky of pledging support to ISIS and plotting to construct a pressure-cooker bomb that he planned to detonate in New York City.

The alleged plan came to light on Feb. 21 after one of Lepsky's relatives called police to report that he had a weapon and threatened to kill the family dog, according to the complaint.

Responding police officers eventually convinced Lepsky to leave the house. When he did, he came emerged with a bloody arm, the complaint said.

While Lepsky was being treated for that wound, he told officials at the scene that he planned to kill his mother and that he had pledged allegiance to Allah, the complaint said.

Lepsky, a natural born citizen of the United States, also said he stabbed the family dog because the animal was "dirty," the complaint said.

In a search of his home, authorities found an empty stainless steel pressure cooker behind a roll of bubble wrap in his bedroom closet, the complaint said. They also found in his bedroom a book titled 'Martyrdom in Jihad Versus Suicide Bombing,' the complaint said.

Investigators also found a series of instructions that had been published online by another terrorist group that gave specific, step-by-step instructions on how to build a pressure cooker bomb, which coincided with the delivery of the pressure cooker to Lepsky shortly before his arrest, authorities said.

A message forwarded by Lepsky from another ISIS supporter said that if a westerner could not travel to Syria to fight for ISIS, he could conduct a terrorist attack in his home country using improvised explosive devices, authorities said.

Lepsky is scheduled to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Leda Dunn Wettre in Newark on Friday afternoon.

MaryAnn Spoto may be reached at mspoto@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @MaryAnnSpoto.