ARLINGTON, Va. — Police have identified the man who was inside an Arlington duplex when it exploded Monday night as James Yoo.
Yoo, 56, is presumed to have died in the blast, according to the Arlington County Police Department. Human remains were found at the scene, but the cause of death will be determined by the chief medical examiner.
Police responded to a home in the 800 block of North Burlington Street around 4:45 p.m. for reports of a man firing a flare gun in the neighborhood. Investigators believe Yoo fired the flare gun more than 30 times from his house into the neighborhood. No injuries or property damage were reported from the shots fired.
As police were attempting to serve a search warrant on the home, police tried to talk to Yoo via telephone and loudspeakers with no response. Police say Yoo remained barricaded inside.
Emergency response team members breached the front door to try and communicate with Yoo, or allow him to surrender himself around 8 p.m. That's when officers heard what they believed to be multiple gunshots from inside the home. Arlington Police Chief Andy Penn said officers could not locate source of gunfire or its target. The officers deployed chemicals meant to irritate Yoo into surrender.
The house exploded around 8:25 p.m.
Multiple agencies, local and national, are investigating the circumstances surrounding the explosion, and can not give a timeline of when the investigation will conclude.
While neither fire nor police officials could comment on the cause or origin of the explosion, it was noted that the gas for the house was turned off before the explosion.
Penn said the only prior documented interactions the police department had with Yoo were for two noise complaints. The chief added that police are aware of concerning social media posts made by Yoo, and will continue to review all posts found.
On a now-deleted YouTube page believed to belong to Yoo, he described himself as a former head of information and physical security for an international telecommunications company with CFIUS (Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States) experience.
"I gave THEM/Y'ALL every opportunity to 'do the right thing' and all I see is America's hypocrisy, corruption, fraud, conspiracy," Yoo's About Me section on YouTube read.
The page also included hashtags calling for the "purge" of government organizations like the FBI, DOJ, CIA and NSA.
The last video on the page, posted three weeks ago, lamented that Yoo's social media posts — especially on LinkedIn — were not receiving views. A search for Yoo on LinkedIn shows his profile is no longer available as of Tuesday afternoon.
Neighbors told WUSA9 that Yoo kept to himself and often had aluminum foil or coverings up over the windows. They also said there was a 'No Trespassing' sign on the door.
Through court documents, WUSA9 has learned that at one point Yoo lived in Macedon, NY, which is about 20 miles outside of Rochester, NY.
None of his former neighbors were willing to comment.
David Sundberg, the assistant director of the FBI's Washington field office, said the FBI had previously been contacted by Yoo over the last several years through letters and online tips. The tips were primarily concerning alleged frauds Yoo believed were committed against him. Sundberg added that none of these tips led to FBI investigations.
Yoo also filed several lawsuits over the years, including one in 2018 that was against a Rochester General Hospital, the Monroe County Sheriff's Office, Yoo's ex-wife, his sister, and a long list of others including Verizon, Google, and the New York Times.
Throughout the suit, Yoo goes on a series of rants, accusing several different people including his sister and ex-wife of trying to hospitalize him against his will.
A judge described Yoo's complaints as consisting of "delusional-sounding allegations intermixed with other statements that seem more factual". In the decision documents, the judge writes that Yoo's "allegations are so clearly the product of delusion or fantasy" and that "this action is indisputably frivolous and is therefore dismissed with prejudice.
Police said no guns had been recovered and Yoo was the only person living in the home.
Besides Yoo, no other injuries were reported as a result of the explosion. Aaron Miller, Arlington's deputy county manager, said 10 houses were impacted by the blast, and said the county has been in contact with all those impacted to provide resources. Support will include shelter, basic necessities and mental health counseling.
A reunification center has also been established at the Central Library Auditorium on N. Quincy Street.
Those who live in the neighborhood told WUSA9 they were shaken by what happened.
Carla Rodriguez of South Arlington said she could hear the explosion more than two miles away and came to the scene, which was roped off blocks away, to see what was happening.
“I actually thought a plane exploded,” she said.
Bob Maynes, who lives nearby, heard the explosion, too.
"It didn't feel like an earthquake, but there was a boom... I was like, 'What could possibly cause that kind of noise,'" he said.
Emily Saxon said the noise was so loud she thought something was happening inside her own home.
"I physically recoiled from the shock of the explosion," Saxon said. "I had no idea what it was. I quite literally thought there was a car that had ran through my living room."
Will Smyth said he heard the explosion as he was coming out of the gym.
"You just hear the bang out of nowhere," Smyth said. "I remember walking out to my car, and just hearing a big pop."
Another neighbor said the blast shook his whole house.
"I thought someone drove a car through a front door or something. I didn't know what to think," Jeff Bradley said. "It's definitely not your average Monday night."
Bradley said he's lived in the neighborhood for about six years and has never experienced anything like this before.
"Not even remotely close," he said.
The investigation remains active and ongoing. Police ask anyone who may have more information to contact them at 703-558-2222.