By Nicole Falco
The Nassau County Arson Bomb Squad continues to investigate the incident, which occurred on Rushfield Lane and began at approximately 1:30 a.m. on March 24.
"This was heard and felt several houses away," said Detective Lt. Kevin Smith, a Nassau County Police Department spokesman. "This seemed to be an intentional act. Someone took the pains to go to this car, to break into it and plant an [explosive] device in it."
The interior of the 2003 Toyota Corolla was destroyed and its windows were blown out, Smith said. According to Walter Weltner, a spokesman for the Valley Stream Fire Department, firefighters responded to a 911 call, but were kept behind police lines because while there was smoke, there was no fire.
The car belonged to Soodash Sackichand, 38, and was parked on the street in front of his house when the explosive device went off. According to neighbors, Sackichand used the car to travel to and from his job as a financial consultant. Sackichand, his wife, Shobna, 35, a real estate agent, and their two children, ages 3 and 5, were at home when the car exploded. No injuries were reported.
No arrests have been made, and police declined to identify any suspects while the investigation is ongoing, but Smith indicated that detectives are "exploring the backgrounds of family members, business associates, friends and other relatives."
Though most residents had gone to bed at the time of the explosion, dozens peered out their windows or ventured out of their houses to do some investigating of their own. "[My wife and I] were sleeping and we heard the car alarm go off, and I thought it was going to be going on all night long," Ashok Ram, the Sackichands' next-door neighbor and a 20-year Valley Stream resident, said. "We heard a boom and the alarm stopped, and then another car alarm went off."
Ram, whose bedroom is in the back of his house, added that the explosion "sounded like what you would think a bomb would sound like."
Another neighbor, the Rev. Alton Samuels, who lives across the street from the Sackichands with his wife and three children, said he and his family had returned home at about 11 p.m. from the Brooklyn church where he is a pastor. They were in bed when they heard the blast, which made Samuels's house vibrate.
"We heard a loud bang," Samuels said. "My wife and I looked out the window and saw smoke coming out of the car. I ran outside thinking there might be a fire, but there was just smoke.
"I was one of the first people outside," he said. "I like to know what's going on in my community."
The Sackichands could not be reached for comment.
Comments about this story? NFalco@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 208.
