Man accused of trying to kill his landlord with a homemade bomb appears in court

APOLLO, Pa. — James Sever appeared in court Monday for the first time since his arrest last week.

He spent nearly two months on the run after state police said he placed a bomb underneath his former landlord‘s lawnmower to kill him in July.

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Channel 11’s Andrew Havranek asked Sever for comment after he asked for his hearing, which was scheduled for 9 a.m., to be postponed two weeks.

“James, do you have anything to say?” Havranek asked.

“Nope,” Sever said. “Not allowed to talk.”

State police said he tried to kill his former landlord, Dave Martin, two months ago. Troopers responded to the home where Sever had once lived off of Route 22 in Salem Township on July 20 for reports of an explosion.

They learned a pipe bomb was placed under Martin’s riding lawnmower, which went off when Martin started to drive it.

“What was your intent?” Havranek asked Sever. Sever didn’t respond.

Martin survived but was injured.

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He said he still has eye pain from the incident.

Sever was on the run for nearly two months before an off-duty trooper recognized him riding an e-bike on the Hoodlebug Trail in Indiana County last Tuesday evening. Martin said he looked frail.

“He looks like he hasn’t been taking care of himself,” Martin said after the hearing.

Martin said he has mixed emotions after seeing him.

“What are some of those emotions when you see him there?” Havranek asked.

“Rage for one, pity for another. I’ve prayed for the guy and I’ve also been very upset with the guy,” Martin said.

The home Martin had Sever evicted from burned down a month after the pipe bomb explosion. State police are investigating it as arson, but have not directly named Sever as a suspect.

But after his arrest, state police said a pipe bomb found in a wooden box off the Irwin exit of the Pennsylvania Turnpike in August is connected to Sever. They haven’t said how it got there, but said Sever was not targeting the general public.

“I think in the end that my, my hopes are justice will be served, and I think that it will,” Martin said.

Sever is due back in court on October 6.

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