Inset, top to bottom: Paul Moses Allen (San Antonio Police) and one of the toilets he allegedly rigged with a small explosive device (KENS). Background: One of the Wash Tub Car Centers where Alden allegedly booby-trapped toilet seats (KENS).
A 46-year-old man in Texas is accused of rigging toilets at several locations of a local car wash chain, placing small explosives underneath the toilet seats that were designed to detonate under pressure.
Paul Moses Alden, who maintained a membership at the business, was taken into custody last week and charged with one count of arson causing reckless damage or bodily injury, records reviewed by Law&Crime show.
According to a probable cause affidavit, officers with the San Antonio Police Department on July 27, 2024, contacted the arson office in connection with several incidents involving which had taken place over the previous week at Wash Tub Car Centers in the area. The incidents — three in total — involved “small explosions” being “set under toilet seats” at two of the car wash chain’s locations.
Management told police that the first two incidents took place on July 19 and 20 at the Wash Tub in the 1200 block of Bandera Road in Helotes, Texas. A representative of the company said that on both dates, “loud ‘bangs’ were heard in the bathroom by customers using the bathroom/toilet.”
The second incident resulted in a female customer being injured, per the affidavit.
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“The female customer was reportedly very upset and left the location before a report was made,” the affidavit states. “The Helotes Police Department responded to the location to take the report and document the scene.”
The third incident took place at about 5:56 p.m. at the Tub Wash located in the 1500 block of N Loop 1604 E in San Antonio and involved similar circumstances.
“During this incident, two loud ‘bangs’ were heard from the bathroom at two separate times while an employee (the victim) and child were using the toilet,” police wrote in the affidavit.
The company representative who spoke to police said they had identified a male customer, now known to be Alden, who they believed was responsible for rigging the toilet seats. At the time, the representative did not know the customer’s name and he had left by the time authorities arrived.
“The defendant was identified by management as the suspect setting these fireworks/small explosives from security video placing him arriving at all three incidents prior to the explosions, using the same vehicle and membership information,” the affidavit states.
The footage also showed that after leaving the bathroom, the male customer would sit in the waiting area watching the bathroom until he heard the explosive device go off.
Later in the day on July 27, Wash Tub management called police again to provide investigators with the debris cleared from the bathrooms. Management also informed police that they had identified the male suspect accused of setting the “small explosives” as Alden based on their customer records.
Alden was described as a regular customer and even used his Wash Tub membership card on the dates of the incidents, according to a report from San Antonio CBS affiliate KENS.
A spokesperson for the company told the station that they were “very pleased” with investigators’ work on the case and reiterated that they would “fully cooperate with SAPD and the District Attorney’s Office.”
Alden was arrested and released on the same day after posting bond of $50,000. It was not immediately clear when he was scheduled to appear in court again.
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