A Texas man, aged 46, has been accused of setting up small explosives under toilet seats at several branches of a local car wash chain. The explosives were designed to detonate under pressure. The suspect, Paul Moses Alden, who was a member of the car wash business, was arrested last week. He has been charged with one count of arson causing reckless damage or bodily injury, according to court documents.
The San Antonio Police Department contacted the arson office on July 27, 2024, regarding several incidents that had occurred over the previous week at Wash Tub Car Centers in the region. The incidents, three in total, involved small explosions set under toilet seats at two of the car wash chain’s locations.
The first two incidents occurred on July 19 and 20 at the Wash Tub on Bandera Road in Helotes, Texas. According to a company representative, loud bangs were heard in the bathroom by customers on both dates. The second incident resulted in a female customer getting injured, as per the affidavit.
The woman was reportedly very upset and left the location before a report was made. The Helotes Police Department responded to the location to take the report and document the scene. The third incident occurred at the Tub Wash on N Loop 1604 E in San Antonio, under similar circumstances. During this incident, two loud bangs were heard from the bathroom at two separate times while an employee and a child were using the toilet.
The company representative who spoke to the police identified a male customer, later identified as Alden, as the suspect responsible for rigging the toilet seats. The representative did not know the customer’s name at the time, and he had left by the time authorities arrived.
Security footage identified Alden as the suspect setting these fireworks/small explosives. The footage showed him arriving at all three incidents prior to the explosions, using the same vehicle and membership information. The footage also showed that after leaving the bathroom, Alden would sit in the waiting area watching the bathroom until he heard the explosive device go off.
On July 27, Wash Tub management called the police again to provide investigators with the debris cleared from the bathrooms. They also informed the police that they had identified Alden as the suspect based on their customer records. Alden was described as a regular customer who used his Wash Tub membership card on the dates of the incidents.
A company spokesperson expressed satisfaction with the investigators’ work on the case and assured full cooperation with the San Antonio Police Department and the District Attorney’s Office. Alden was arrested and released on the same day after posting a $50,000 bond. His next court appearance date is yet to be announced.