Man Arrested in Key West After Threatening to Blow Up Navy Base

A 41-year-old Indianapolis resident has been charged with a felony following an alleged threat directed at Trumbo Point Navy Base in Key West. According to law enforcement, Jonathon David Mathews made the threat Thursday evening at approximately 6:30 p.m. after being turned away from the military installation.

Upon his departure from the base, Mathews allegedly told a security guard that he possessed C-4 explosives and could destroy the facility if he chose to do so. The Navy promptly notified Key West police of the statement, prompting immediate investigative action by local authorities.

Officers located Mathews’ vehicle roughly half an hour later at a nearby shopping center and conducted a traffic stop. Subsequent searches of both his vehicle and hotel room uncovered a dive knife, but no explosives or other weapons were recovered from either location.

During questioning, Mathews acknowledged making the explosive-related statements to base security and claimed he was conducting a test of their threat-response procedures. He was arrested on a single count of threatening to discharge a destructive device, a felony offense under Florida law.

The Key West Police Department issued a statement emphasizing that all threats targeting military installations will be treated as credible, regardless of stated intent, and will trigger a full law enforcement response. As of Friday afternoon, no bond information was available in Florida Keys jail records, with Mathews scheduled for arraignment on September 4.