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Bomb explodes, hurts Wolcott trooper in 1981; bomber remains unknown

A trooper was backing up a patrol car when the bomb exploded.

Trooper George Lachnicht was leaving the New York State Police’s Wolcott barracks in Wayne County in October 1981 to patrol the area when the explosive device blew up — leaving Lachnicht seriously injured, troopers said.

Close to 40 years later, the identity of the bomber remains a mystery. And on Tuesday, state police asked the public for help Tuesday solving the cold case.

The explosion happened around 7:30 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 16, 1981.

Lachnicht stepped into the driver’s seat of a patrol car parked near the Wolcott barracks garage and started to back up, troopers said. When he put the car into reverse and backed up, an explosive device placed under the car exploded, troopers said.

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