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NEW HARMONY, Washington County — A man died after an explosion in New Harmony, authorities said Saturday night.
The Washington County Sheriff’s Office was dispatched at approximately 8 p.m. after receiving reports of a traumatic injury, according to a press release from the agency. Deputies and medical personnel arrived at a house near 400 North and Harmony Drive in New Harmony, where they discovered the body of a 25-year-old man.
He was identified Monday as Jordan Joseph Rinehart, according to an email from the Washington County Sheriff's Office.
Initial information from on-scene investigators revealed Rinehart may have died as the result of an explosion in the residence’s garage, the press release states.
According to a Sunday morning update, members of the Washington County bomb squad and detective's office cleared the house and found no "additional explosive devices or threats to the public." They interviewed a witness who said he and Rinehart had been at the property to care for horses and went to a secondary residence on the property to call for a ride home.
"The witness told investigators he was asked to come to the garage area where his acquaintance was working," the release said. "The individual told the witness he was making an explosive device."
The device exploded as the witness was walking away, killing Rinehart, who was working with it; the witness was uninjured and is cooperating with authorities, the release says.
It says Rinehart was "previously known to law enforcement" but that there is no evidence to indicate a potential target for the device.
Contributing: Jacob Klopfenstein, KSL.com
