A Motor Vehicle Administration employee who’s charged with threatening mass violence and arson said he’d “bring a bomb” to the Hagerstown office and “blow up the f**king kiosk” there, according to court documents.
Anthony Jacob Fritz, 38, was arrested on Friday, June 28. He was released that same day on a $10,000 bond, according to court records.
An attorney listed for Fritz in court records did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Three MVA employees told their manager they had heard Fritz say, in front of customers, that he would “bring a bomb in the building and blow up the f**king kiosk.”
He made a similar threat on a separate occasion, according to one of the employees.
A spokesperson for the MVA said they can’t comment on personnel matters, but they prioritize the safety of their branch employees and customers.
“The MVA and Maryland State Police followed security protocols to ensure that the branch office was thoroughly searched and deemed safe,” a spokesperson said in a statement over the weekend.
In the two months that Fritz worked at the MVA, the three employees showed concern with his anger, according to court documents. On other occasions, Fritz threw his tablet and used “vulgar” language. Fritz’s coworkers were concerned that he would actually blow up their workplace, according to the court documents.
Police were called after employees talked to a Maryland State Police officer stationed at the MVA, according to the Maryland Office of the State Fire Marshal. A canine detection team and bomb squad searched the building and found no explosives.
When they searched Fritz’s home, officers found 26 guns and 67 containers of ammunition, which are now in police custody, officials said.
When Fritz allegedly made the threats, more than 10 people were present at the MVA: five employees and more than five customers, according to court documents.
Fritz has a court date scheduled for July 31, according to online court records.
