Man charged in connection to firework explosion at Rivers Casino

A 47-year-old man faces criminal charges after, state police say, he set off a firework in a bathroom inside Rivers Casino on Pittsburgh’s North Shore early Sunday morning.

State police say they took Jeremy Allen Hartman, of Martinsburg, Blair County, into custody at 5:41 a.m. for allegedly trespassing in a closed restaurant at the casino and attempting to steal various bottles of alcohol valued at up to $4,000.

While being taken to a secure holding area within the casino, Hartman asked to go to the bathroom, troopers said. He went into an employee restroom, where troopers say he lit a commercial-grade firework and place it inside a toilet.

A casino employee in the restroom suffered minor injuries after the firework exploded, troopers said. The employee was treated and released by medical staff.

Police executed a search warrant on a vehicle registered to Hartman, which was located on the fifth floor of the casino parking garage, troopers said. The search turned up additional commercial grade fireworks inside the vehicle.

Pittsburgh Police’s bomb squad and K-9 unit responded and conducted a sweep of the vehicle. Those teams also searched the casino, which was also clear of any explosive devices. There is no immediate threat to the public, troopers said.

The investigation is ongoing, troopers said.

Police charged Hartman with risking a catastrophe, arson, theft, criminal mischief, reckless endangerment and receiving stolen property.

A preliminary hearing hasn’t yet been scheduled for Hartman, according to court records.