‘Rambling’ NJ man drove around Hamilton with pipe bombs, feds say

💣 Mount Laurel man faces new federal charge

💣 He's described as odd, rambling, and twitchy in new court filings

💣 He said the pipe bombs were fireworks, according to officials

HAMILTON (Mercer) — Federal prosecutors have filed a new charge against a Mount Laurel man they claim displayed bizarre behaviors during a traffic stop in Mercer County.

Jeremy Giliberti, 52, of Mount Laurel is charged with possessing destructive devices, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. He was scheduled to appear in Trenton federal court Tuesday afternoon.

Giliberti was pulled over while driving his green Honda Accord through Hamilton Township shortly before 11 a.m. on July 26, 2023. A criminal complaint said he made an unsafe lane change.

Police searched his vehicle during the traffic stop and found four pipe bombs on the floor of the front passenger seat, according to court documents.

Stopped driver was rambling, suspicious

New court documents revealed on Tuesday said Giliberti exhibited some bizarre behaviors.

Police officers asked him several questions before searching his car, according to the criminal complaint.

When asked where he was coming from, Giliberti said he had just a dental procedure done and showed the cops the bloody gauze in his mouth, the complaint said.

He then said that he was in Hamilton to grab a pizza. Police noticed there was already a pizza box in his car, adding to several other oddities.

"The Hamilton PD officers observed that Giliberti made odd statements, and exhibited a suspicious demeanor, including mumbling his speech, rambling, avoiding eye contact with the officers, nervousness, smiling a lot, and making quick, twitch-like movements," documents said.

The officers thought Giliberti was high and that they would find narcotics when they searched his vehicle, the complaint said.

Fireworks, not pipe bombs

According to the complaint, the officers found four pipe bombs in Giliberti's vehicle instead of drugs.

The five-inch long, handmade explosives were inside a duffel bag, authorities said. Each device had a pyrotechnic fuse and contained an explosive mixture, the complaint said.

As he was being arrested, Giliberti said that he had built the devices but described them as "quarter sticks" and fireworks, the complaint said.

If convicted, he faces a maximum of ten years in prison.

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