Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Body found in rubble identified as homeowner
5 families displaced as 3 townhomes are destroyed
EAGLEVILLE >> The body of a 66-year-old suspect involved in an incident Thursday afternoon was found hours later inside the rubble of a townhouse ravaged by fire, according to Lower Providence Township Police Chief Michael Jackson.
Eagleville resident Thomas Razzi’s body was found late Thursday night and was taken to the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office for an autopsy, according to Jackson.
The cause of death is not yet known.
The fire which started in Razzi’s home as a series of explosions spread to several other townhomes and displaced five families, Jackson told reporters during a Friday afternoon press conference.
The chain of events began with a confrontation between Razzi and a Lower Providence Township code enforcement officer just before noon on Thursday.
The township employee headed to Razzi’s townhouse, located at 4045 Cardin Place in Eagleville, to perform a “follow-up inspection regarding a hoarding situation,” Jackson said.
Jackson clarified that Razzi had previously permitted the entrance of the township’s code enforcement officer, who had been “working with Mr. Razzi for some time to remedy the situation.”
“When the code enforcement officer entered the property and met with the homeowner … Mr. Razzi displayed a firearm,” Jackson said.
Jackson added the code enforcement officer “was able to get out the front door very quickly” and “run up the street” before calling the township’s police department for further assistance. “Razzi did exit the property and follow him for a distance and then return to the residence,” Jackson said. “While he was outside he did not have that firearm displayed and when police officers encountered him he did not have that firearm displayed.”
However, Jackson noted that “he was armed, he just wasn’t displaying it. He had it in his waistband.”
Prior to receiving information from the code enforcement officer, authorities said in a press release that a witness had called 911 regarding “a man with a gun,” later identified as Razzi, allegedly chasing the township official.
Once police responded to the home on Cardin Place, Jackson said officers “confronted the suspect outside his residence,” but the “homeowner retreated ... and slammed the door behind him.”
“Officers established a perimeter, and soon heard a series of gunfire and explosions,” Jackson said. “Almost immediately, smoke and flames were visible from the residence.”
Officers then evacuated area residents due to safety concerns, according to Jackson. Once the area was deemed secure, firefighters from the Lower Providence Township Fire Department began working to extinguish the fire, which had spread to several homes.
Jackson clarified that six homes were impacted by the blaze: three of which were considered total losses, while the remaining three sustained damage. In total, five families were displaced as a result of the incident, and township police officials are working with the American Red Cross to provide accommodations and assistance.
Jackson also stressed that no officer-involved shooting took place.
“I think it’s important to note at no time during this incident did any police officer discharge their firearm, nor do we have any infor
mation to suggest that Mr. Razzi discharged his firearm from his residence into the neighborhood or at police officers,” he said. Initial reports Thursday from the county dispatch center had referred to a shooting.
The code enforcement officer suffered minor injuries, “mostly bruising,” Jackson said, noting he was treated and later released from a local hospital.
Jackson couldn’t confirm the cause of the fire and said it’s an “ongoing investigation.”
When asked if the house was “booby-trapped,” Jackson couldn’t specify, but did say “that’s one of the things we are investigating.” He added that “we’ve recovered numerous firearms” from the residence and are “still in the process of recovering additional evidence.”
During a preliminary investigation, authorities said in a press release Friday morning that Razzi “made his own fireworks and had several firearms and ammunition inside his home.”
“Preliminary information indicates that the cause of the explosions and gunfire were likely the result of chemical substances being mixed to make illegal fireworks, along with ammunition exploding due to the fire,” authorities said in a statement released Friday morning.
Along with Lower Providence Township’s police and fire departments, first responders from West Norriton, Collegeville, Bridgeport, and the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office SWAT Team assisted Thursday. Local, state and federal agencies are working on the investigation.
Anyone with information concerning Thursday’s incident should contact the Lower Providence Township Police Department at 610-539-5901.