What the hell would make a 30 year employee nearing retirement, a man with no criminal history or history of "abnormal behaviour", attempt to blow up a school and potentially kill hundreds of children?????
Janitor tried to blow up school: Cops
By Jenny Yuen, Toronto Sun
St. Joseph's College janitor Vincent Perna faces several charges including attempted murder and attempted arson: disregard for human life after an incident involving the gas supply at the school.
Students at St. Joseph’s College came close to having an explosive end to their school year.
A janitor, who worked at the Wellesley St. all-girls Catholic high school for the past 15 years, allegedly cut the main gas line Thursday morning with the intention of blowing up the school, police said.
“It was to cause danger to the students and to the staff members,” Const. Tony Vella said Friday. “But that never happened. The situation could have been much worse.”
Police say Vincent Perna, 67, broke into one of the school’s mechanical rooms in the basement around 7 a.m. Thursday containing the main gas pipe.
After cutting it, kitchen staff couldn’t light their stoves and asked for his help. When they smelled the natural gas in the air, they immediately pulled the fire alarm, which summoned police and firefighters.
“The intention was obviously to cause the flame to go in the air for some sort of explosion,” he said. “(Police) noticed the gas line was cut and looked into it further and it’s alleged he did it.
No injuries were reported.
Several students and teachers were inside the school at the time, Vella confirmed, however, it was still relatively empty because classes did not begin until later that morning. The school’s population is just over 800.
Sabrinna Kulnys-Douglas, a grade 11 student at St. Joseph’s, said she arrived at the school around 8 a.m. to find teachers evacuating everyone to the front of Queen’s Park.
“I don’t know janitors by name,” said Kulnys-Douglas. “I have no clue what would have caused him to do that. It wasn’t so scary at the time when it happened, but knowing my school could have exploded, it’s scarier.”
St. Joseph’s was evacuated until around 10 a.m., she said. But because “it smelled so bad…like rotten eggs,” officials decided to close the school for the rest of the day.
The explosive limit for natural is 5% to 15%, which is the lowest and highest concentration of vapour in the air capable of produce a flash of fire in the presence of an open flame.
According to Keith (who didn’t want to give his last name), the owner of General Gas Service in Toronto, the intensity of the explosion depends on how long the room was filling up with the substance and the size of the room. But any open flame could have set off the blast, “including flicking on light switches,” he said.
A spokesman from the Toronto Catholic District School Board said staff reacted the situation appropriately.
“Students and staff were never in danger at any point,” said John Yan. “Once gas was smelled in the air, police and (Enbridge) came very quickly and the gas was shut off.”
Yan said Perna “has no previous record of any abnormal behaviour.”
The high school has arranged for trauma councillors to be available for students, staff and parents on Monday, trustee Jo-Ann Davis said.
“It’s obviously shocking,” she said.
“We’re very close quarters to a condominium high rise that’s next door as well as St. Michael’s Residence next door and the university behind. It’s a high density area of the city. Thank God, it was discovered. My prayers are with everyone involved, including Mr. Perna. I can’t imagine what could have happened to make this occur.”
The janitor worked for the Catholic board for 30 years, likely as a custodian at other schools prior to coming to St. Joseph’s College, Davis said.
“He was nearing retirement,” she said.
Perna faces several charges including attempted murder and attempted arson: disregard for human life. He was also charged with break and enter with intent, mischief endanger life and common nuisance.
He appeared at Old City Hall court Friday.
Janitor tried to blow up school: Cops - Crime - Canoe.ca
By Jenny Yuen, Toronto Sun
St. Joseph's College janitor Vincent Perna faces several charges including attempted murder and attempted arson: disregard for human life after an incident involving the gas supply at the school.
Students at St. Joseph’s College came close to having an explosive end to their school year.
A janitor, who worked at the Wellesley St. all-girls Catholic high school for the past 15 years, allegedly cut the main gas line Thursday morning with the intention of blowing up the school, police said.
“It was to cause danger to the students and to the staff members,” Const. Tony Vella said Friday. “But that never happened. The situation could have been much worse.”
Police say Vincent Perna, 67, broke into one of the school’s mechanical rooms in the basement around 7 a.m. Thursday containing the main gas pipe.
After cutting it, kitchen staff couldn’t light their stoves and asked for his help. When they smelled the natural gas in the air, they immediately pulled the fire alarm, which summoned police and firefighters.
“The intention was obviously to cause the flame to go in the air for some sort of explosion,” he said. “(Police) noticed the gas line was cut and looked into it further and it’s alleged he did it.
No injuries were reported.
Several students and teachers were inside the school at the time, Vella confirmed, however, it was still relatively empty because classes did not begin until later that morning. The school’s population is just over 800.
Sabrinna Kulnys-Douglas, a grade 11 student at St. Joseph’s, said she arrived at the school around 8 a.m. to find teachers evacuating everyone to the front of Queen’s Park.
“I don’t know janitors by name,” said Kulnys-Douglas. “I have no clue what would have caused him to do that. It wasn’t so scary at the time when it happened, but knowing my school could have exploded, it’s scarier.”
St. Joseph’s was evacuated until around 10 a.m., she said. But because “it smelled so bad…like rotten eggs,” officials decided to close the school for the rest of the day.
The explosive limit for natural is 5% to 15%, which is the lowest and highest concentration of vapour in the air capable of produce a flash of fire in the presence of an open flame.
According to Keith (who didn’t want to give his last name), the owner of General Gas Service in Toronto, the intensity of the explosion depends on how long the room was filling up with the substance and the size of the room. But any open flame could have set off the blast, “including flicking on light switches,” he said.
A spokesman from the Toronto Catholic District School Board said staff reacted the situation appropriately.
“Students and staff were never in danger at any point,” said John Yan. “Once gas was smelled in the air, police and (Enbridge) came very quickly and the gas was shut off.”
Yan said Perna “has no previous record of any abnormal behaviour.”
The high school has arranged for trauma councillors to be available for students, staff and parents on Monday, trustee Jo-Ann Davis said.
“It’s obviously shocking,” she said.
“We’re very close quarters to a condominium high rise that’s next door as well as St. Michael’s Residence next door and the university behind. It’s a high density area of the city. Thank God, it was discovered. My prayers are with everyone involved, including Mr. Perna. I can’t imagine what could have happened to make this occur.”
The janitor worked for the Catholic board for 30 years, likely as a custodian at other schools prior to coming to St. Joseph’s College, Davis said.
“He was nearing retirement,” she said.
Perna faces several charges including attempted murder and attempted arson: disregard for human life. He was also charged with break and enter with intent, mischief endanger life and common nuisance.
He appeared at Old City Hall court Friday.
Janitor tried to blow up school: Cops - Crime - Canoe.ca
