Alleged Ridgewood 'Bomb' Doc Had Been Institutionalized for Mental Disorder, Report Says

The Ridgewood physician accused of stockpiling bomb-making materials and a cache of weapons was indicted Wednesday on charges he put the public at widespread risk, according to a published report.

According to Northjersey.com, a Bergen County grand jury returned an 11-count indictment against Roberto Rivera, 60, whom authorities charged with having assault rifles, a stun gun, and explosive chemical materials at a Ridgewood apartment building before multiple agencies raided the home on Nov. 16.

The website also reported that Rivera was prohibited from possessing firearms, having previously been committed to an institution with a mental disorder. Patch previously reported Rivera had been fired from St. Vincent's Hospital for allegedly stalking a female coworker. He refused to submit to a psychiatric evaluation and later filed a lawsuit against the now defunct hospital, according to court records. 

Ridgewood Police, an FBI counterterrorism task force, the Bergen County Bomb Squad were among agencies that found nitric acid, hydrogen peroxide, glycerin, sulfuric acid, calcium hypochlorite and potassium perchlorate at the Union Street home, New Jersey Attorney General Jeffrey Chieasa previously stated. Thermite and accompanying lighters to detonate potential devices were also found, authorities charged.

Chiesa said Rivera had a host of "anarchist" and "revolutionary" literature in folders at the Ridgewood home. The internist was also involved in the Occupy Wall Street movement.

The woman with whom Rivera was staying in Ridgewood, 55-year-old Shannon Mulligan, told NorthJersey.com that the doctor was a "passionate intellectual" whom she met on a dating website.

Mulligan told NorthJersey.com that Rivera was "non-violent" and did not agree with "any militant element" inside the Occupy movement.

He remains jailed in Hackensack on $1 million bail.