A 37-year-old Denville man is facing multiple charges after investigators seized a large cache of homemade explosives from his property, the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office announced.
Morris County Prosecutor Robert J. Carroll, Chief of Detectives Robert McNally and Denville Chief of Police Scott Welsch announced the arrest of Joseph Rizos, 37, of Denville, following a homemade explosives investigation that yielded what officials described as a massive trove of explosives and explosive precursors.
On the morning of June 24, 2026, a team of investigators led by the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office executed a search warrant at a residence on Avondale Road in Denville. Before the warrant was carried out, a motor vehicle stop was conducted and Rizos was detained.
Inside the home, investigators found a home laboratory along with a cache of explosive precursors commonly used to make homemade explosives. Blasting caps, cell phones, and various firearms and ammunition were also seized. A second search warrant for a shed on the property turned up approximately 109 individual containers of suspected homemade explosives that officials said were capable of massive destruction. Investigators did not locate a permit from the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development’s Division of Public Safety and Occupational Safety and Health required to store such materials.
As a precaution, surrounding residences were temporarily evacuated during the operation.
The Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Special Operations Division led the investigation, with task force officers from the Morris County Sheriff’s Office, Denville Police Department, Parsippany Police Department, Roxbury Police Department and the Town of Boonton Police Department. The Morristown Police Department, Morris County Sheriff’s Office Bomb Squad, New Jersey State Police Hazardous Material Response Unit, New Jersey Office of the Attorney General, New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice, the DEA’s Newark Division and the FBI’s Newark Office also assisted.
According to the Prosecutor’s Office, the investigation began in March 2026. Rizos is alleged to have run a destructive device manufacturing operation during 2025 and 2026.
On June 24, Rizos was charged with one count of Recklessly Risking Widespread Injury or Damage, a second-degree crime, and four counts of Possession of Destructive Devices, a third-degree crime. The investigation remains ongoing, and additional charges may be filed.
Pursuant to the Criminal Justice Reform Act, Rizos remains held in the Morris County Jail pending a motion for pretrial detention.
“I want to recognize the hard work and persistence of our investigators in shutting down this potentially dangerous operation,” Carroll said. “I also wish to thank our local, state, and federal partners in providing timely assistance with this volatile situation.”
Carroll added that, given the ongoing nature of the investigation, law enforcement cannot discuss additional details at this time, including the defendant’s intent, and that more will be reported to the public at the appropriate time.
Charges are merely accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
