The FBI’s week-long investigation into “suspicious materials” found at an Irvine home stems from a college student’s science project, his family’s attorney said.
Attorney Charles Ray said the 17-year-old student was doing an experiment. He added that the student has a YouTube channel where the teen posts his experiments.
“He doesn’t always have a lab accessible, so he’s forced to do these things at home because he loves science,” Ray said.
The unnamed college student and his parents are expecting to be allowed back into their rented home on Cartwheel in the Altair community more than a week after the FBI was called into the neighborhood. A source with knowledge of the investigation said there was an indication of a possible nerve agent in the home.
The combination of the presence of potentially poisonous chemicals and written material found inside was concerning, according to the source.
“All I can speak to that is that people are afraid of what they don’t understand, and you are a 17-year-old basically doing synthesis of completely innocuous chemicals that have no issue with anything,” Ray said. “We appreciate the authorities going forward and conducting their investigation as necessary, but in the end, this is nothing.”
The family’s attorney said they’ve been staying in a hotel, waiting to hear they can return home. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the cleanup of the property is being led by the California Department of Toxic Substances Control. The FBI said its investigation is continuing, and no arrests have been made.
The teenager, who is graduating from a local college in the next few months, dreams of becoming a doctor. Ray didn’t disclose which chemicals were being used, but explained that anyone can purchase them, and there was never a threat to the community.
“This is the type of kid that one day will help to cure cancer,” Ray said. “I’m telling you that is what we have here.”