Ex-student from Rumson charged with having bomb materials 'for large scale destruction'

A former Rumson-Fair Haven graduate faces federal charges after authorities found bomb-making materials and an AR-15-style rifle inside his apartment in Ithaca, New York.

Maximilien R. Reynolds, 19, was charged in federal court Friday with possessing a destructive device and an unregistered silencer as well as making false statements in connection with the purchase of the semiautomatic rifle, according to federal court records.

Reynolds' lawyer Raymond Schlather said in an email that his client was ill.

"All preliminary indications are that the materials and conduct at issue were defensive in nature, arising out of his medical condition, and that no one was under threat or in jeopardy," he said.

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Reynolds was ordered to undergo a psychiatric evaluation to determine if he understands the proceedings and charges against him. According to court records, Reynolds was previously diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorders.

That evaluation will occur at Federal Medical Center Devens in Ayers, Massachusetts.

A Savage MSR-15 Patrol rifle, bomb-making materials and a homemade silencer were among scores of items seized from the apartment, federal records show.

Authorities also found in Reynolds’ apartment consumer fireworks that had been modified to add shotgun pellets to its exterior, a gas mask, body armor, chemicals frequently used in homemade explosives, ball bearings that could be used as shrapnel in a bomb, pipes commonly used to assemble destructive devices, according to federal records. Many of the 300 rounds of live ammunition discovered, police told the Sun, were in high-capacity magazine clips compatible with the rifle.

Reynolds' girlfriend told law enforcement she "was somewhat concerned about Maximilien R. Reynolds, who seemed to her to be manic, not taking his medications, and getting very little sleep," the complaint read.

A federal criminal complaint states that when two FBI agents first went to the apartment, Reynolds was not there, however, his girlfriend invited them into the apartment. They later saw the apartment was in disarray, with several "random piles of clothing, food, laboratory glassware, and other items strewn about."

Within the apartment, an FBI agent saw in plain sight what he later determined was a bullet-resistant vest, the complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Syracuse stated. Afterward, the FBI agents found camouflage and military-style clothing, as well tactical type items, such as knives, flashlights, and what appeared to be a military-style gas mask strewn throughout the apartment. Additional bomb-making materials were also found in two storage units rented by Max Reynolds, the indictment said.

“Collectively all of these items certainly suggest a specific recipe for large-scale destruction,” Ithaca Police Chief Pete Tyler said in a statement. “I’m very proud of the team of investigators who worked diligently and methodically to prevent any potential tragedy from occurring.”

Reynolds, who was on leave from Cornell University, is a student at a community college in Dryden, N.Y.

Residents who were exiting from the apartment complex Sunday afternoon said they did not know Reynolds and they did not notice anything strange happening related to their neighbor.

The investigation started March 7 after authorities received a tip from an employee at Walmart concerned about items Reynolds bought, including ammunition, hacksaw blades and knives.

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Reynolds told authorities he purchased the hacksaw and other tools to shorten the barrel of the semiautomatic weapon. He later consented to have authorities remove the weapons from his apartment and agreed to be taken to Cayuga Medical Center’s behavioral sciences unit in Ithaca, New York.

Reynolds was in that treatment facility when the FBI arrested him Thursday night, Schlather said.

"Friday afternoon, the Court quite correctly directed that his treatment continue — and that his mental health be evaluated — before any court proceedings go forward," Schlather said in the email. "Accordingly, no plea has been entered."

This is not the first time that Max Reynold's mental health brought him into contact with authorities. The Ithaca Police detained him in June 2016 under New York State's mental hygiene law, according to the complaint. No further information about the Reynolds case was available. New York's mental hygiene law permits law enforcement officers to "take into custody any person who appears to be mentally ill and is conducting himself or herself in a manner which is likely to result in serious harm to the person or others."

According to the complaint, Max Reynolds asked another Ithaca resident to purchase the gun for him because Reynolds was prohibited from buying it himself, the complaint said. The Ithaca resident told authorities that he and Max Reynolds discussed purchasing a firearms from a federally licensed dealer in the fall of 2017, and that Max Reynolds directed him to buy the firearm for $1,000 and promised him another $200 to complete the transaction.

The man, identified as "A.R." in the complaint, falsely certified when he bought the firearm that he was its true owner, the complaint said.

Reynolds was a graduate of Rumson-Fair Haven High School and had at one time studied plant science at Cornell, according to his Facebook page. He graduated high school in 2015 and at his graduation, gave a speech about the importance of seeking help from others to accomplish goals, according to the Cornell Sun. See more from the scene in the video above.

Rumson-Fair Haven Superintendent Peter Righi declined to comment Sunday.

Reynolds is the son of multi-millionaire Tim Reynolds of Rumson, who was a co-founder of Jane Street Capital, a Wall Street trading firm.

When reached at his home Sunday, Tim Reynolds declined to comment.

Tim Reynolds retired from Jane Street in 2012 and helped found the non-profit art education program Ani Art Academies.

Tim Reynolds also helped found The Tim Reynolds Family Spinal Cord Injury Center at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School after a car crash in 2000 left him paralyzed. Tim Reynolds has donated at least $8 million to the center since it was founded in 2005, according to media releases from the university.

In a 2007 profile in the medical school's alumni magazine, Tim Reynolds said he hoped the center would not only improve the lives of the 250,000 people living with spinal cord injuries but also offer an emotional boost the medical professionals who would be able to give their patients an optimistic prognosis rather than a tragic one.

Neighbor Doug VanderHorn said he remembered Maximilien Reynolds as a "nice, respectful" child.

“I’m just totally surprised,” he said.

The charges against Reynolds each carry a maximum sentence of up to 10 years in prison, along with terms of supervised release and fines, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Contributing: Matthew Steecker of the Ithaca Journal and Asbury Park Press reporter Kevin Davis.