A Central Pennsylvania man was jailed Tuesday in connection with two explosions in 2025 at a Duquesne Light substation in Trafford.
Derrick W. McCarty, 32, of McVeytown is accused by borough police of trying to cut high-voltage lines Feb. 1 at the substation near the Trafford Commerce Center, according to court papers.
Investigators learned during repairs to the substation that the lock on a back gate had been tampered with and three electrical components made of copper were stolen, police said. They reported finding multiple tools and bags, along with Listerine and Powerade bottles, inside the fenced-in area, according to court papers.
The first explosion was reported at 2 a.m. The second happened at 1:30 p.m. when power was restored after repairs were made to equipment that officials initially believed sparked the first explosion, police said. That’s when damage to the high-voltage power lines was discovered.
When firefighters responded to the initial call, a man wearing all black was seen leaning against a building nearby, according to court papers. The Listerine and Powerade bottles were sent to the state police crime lab for DNA testing.
On Dec. 24, a DNA match came back for McCarty, police said.
McCarty was being held on $25,000 bail in the Westmoreland County Prison on charges of criminal trespass, reckless burning, risking catastrophe, theft and criminal mischief. McCarty did not have an attorney listed in online court records. A preliminary hearing is set for Jan. 20.
McCarty was sentenced in 2021 to time in a state prison in connection with burglary charges, according to online court records. A Johnstown police dog died in November 2020 during a search for him and other burglary suspects in a warehouse. Titan, the police dog, died after falling through an unsecured open elevator shaft in the building, according to WJAC.
McCarty is awaiting action in a weapons violations case in Huntingdon County, according to online court records.
