Man accused of targeting protesters with suspected firebomb in Vermont

Crime

“Witnesses state the driver sat in his vehicle in front of the protesters trying to light something coming out [of] what appeared to be a bottle,” Brattleboro police said. 

By Abby Patkin

January 16, 2026 | 3:57 PM

1 minute to read

A Vermont man is facing charges after police say he tried to light “some sort of incendiary device” last month upon driving up to a Brattleboro protest opposing the prospect of war in Venezuela.

The Brattleboro Police Department said it arrested 43-year-old Oscar Whelan following an incident involving allegations of aggravated assault and possession of destructive devices. In a news release, the department said it received multiple complaints about a man who allegedly pulled up to a Dec. 6 protest on Main Street and tried to light something on fire inside his car.

“Witnesses state the driver sat in his vehicle in front of the protesters trying to light something coming out [of] what appeared to be a bottle,” Brattleboro police added. 

However, as traffic began to accumulate behind his car and other vehicles honked and drove around him, Whelan allegedly stopped what he was doing and sped off. 

“Based on the descriptions, it appeared the driver was trying to light some sort of incendiary device,” Brattleboro police said. 

The incident coincided with a protest in Pliny Park centered on the theme, “No war on Venezuela, no more murders on the high seas,” according to the Brattleboro Reformer. 

Days later, according to the Reformer, police reportedly received a complaint that Whelan obtained ammunition through the mail — a violation of his conditions of release in earlier incidents involving the Brattleboro Food Co-op and the Windham County Courthouse. A search of Whelan’s apartment allegedly turned up a handgun and four boxes of ammunition, the local news outlet reported. 

In his car, authorities purportedly found camouflage body armor, a metal baton, two fixed blade knives, a rifle, six magazines, ammunition, a hatchet, and pepper spray, according to the Reformer. 

An attorney for Whelan was not immediately reachable for comment Friday.

Whelan is scheduled for arraignment Jan. 27 in connection with the Dec. 6 incident, Brattleboro police said. A representative from the Windham County Courthouse confirmed he is being held on $2,500 bond. 

Abby Patkin is a general assignment news reporter whose work touches on public transit, crime, health, and everything in between.