On Monday, a man from Pennsylvania, Jacob Rabb, was formally charged with a grave act—detonating his house in Plum while his family was still inside. This shocking incident has led to Rabb facing multiple serious charges, including attempted criminal homicide, aggravated arson, and endangerment of persons, as detailed in a report by WTAE.
According to the criminal complaint, the explosion occurred on April 22, 2022, when Rabb, his wife Laura Petty, and their three young sons were at home. The blast was sudden and devastating. Fortunately, Rabb, Petty, and their two younger sons, aged 6 and 2 at the time, managed to escape the wreckage. Their 11-year-old son, however, who was engrossed in a video game session in the basement, had to crawl out through a window, sustaining first-degree burns in the process.
The delay in bringing these charges, nearly four years after the incident, raises questions. Significantly, Petty discovered two notes in the kitchen—one explicitly stating, “P.S. I did blow up the house,” while the other ominously declared, “If I can’t have her no one will or my kids…”. The timing of when these notes were found remains unclear, adding a layer of mystery to the case.
The relationship between Rabb and Petty deteriorated further after the incident. They separated in December 2022, and by May 2023, Petty had filed a protection order against Rabb. In a distressing turn of events, Rabb violated this order just weeks later, allegedly threatening Petty with a knife, further complicating an already tragic situation.
It’s not clear why it took nearly four years to bring charges, especially after Petty found two notes in the kitchen, one of which said, “P.S. I did blow up the house.” The other note said in part, “If I can’t have her no one will or my kids … ” according to WTAE. It’s not clear when those notes were found.
Rabb and Petty separated in December 2022, and she filed a protection order against him in May 2023. Weeks later, he violated the protection order and threatened Petty with a knife.
The affidavit filed in the case says that investigators believe Rabb manually disconnected the gas connection on the home’s dryer on three occasions, including the day of the explosion. And in fact, Rabb’s father told police that his son admitted his responsibility for the explosion, tthe Pittsburgh Tribune-Review said.
Petty actually credited Rabb with saving the family at the time
“I don’t remember anything,” she said. “I don’t remember hearing a blast or feeling the blast or anything. I woke up in bed with the roof collapsed on me. I was super disoriented. If it wasn’t for (Rabb), we wouldn’t have made it out.
The blast caused thousands of dollars in damage to nearby homes, the complaint said. The lot has remained vacant since the explosion.
