ATF called to assist in search for man accused of blowing up landlord’s lawnmower with pipe bomb

SALEM TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Channel 11 has confirmed the ATF is assisting the Pennsylvania State Police in the search for James Sever.

Sever has been in hiding, according to detectives, since July, after police say he put a pipe bomb underneath his landlord’s tractor in retaliation for being evicted.

The bomb exploded and injured the landlord, but he survived.

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Then, this past Friday, the home where Sever had been living before his eviction went up in flames, and police say someone set it on fire.

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Sever is still nowhere to be found.

State police tell Channel 11 — they believe he isn’t far, and is hiding somewhere in the woods in Salem Township. However, finding him has been a challenge.

“By nature, that particular person is very adapted to living in the woods. The canopy is very thick. This is a very thick wooded area, and it makes it difficult to see and get into the woods when it comes to using cameras and heat sensors and the different things that help aid you,” state trooper Steve Limani told Channel 11.

There was a tenant who was living in the upstairs apartment, and he was not there when the home was set on fire.

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