Officers assigned to District A-1 (Downtown) arrested a man on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, after he called in a bomb threat to a downtown movie theater following his removal from the venue for harassing an employee.
At approximately 3:43 p.m., officers responded to a radio call for a bomb threat at the AMC Theatre on Tremont Street. Prior to officers’ arrival, dispatch relayed that an anonymous male caller claimed to be a federal agent and stated, through a purported secretary, that there was a bomb at the theater.
Upon arrival, officers spoke with theater security, who reported that at approximately 3:39 p.m. a theater employee had requested assistance with a male patron making inappropriate comments toward a female employee. The man, believed to be under the influence of an unknown substance, was escorted from the theater. Security stated that as he was being removed, he displayed two sharpened chopsticks and threatened a theater manager before leaving on foot on Tremont Street.
Officers arrived and canvassed the area of Boston Common and Washington Street and located a man matching the suspect description. Separately, an officer reviewing surveillance footage identified the suspect on camera leaving the theater and traveling through Downtown Crossing into a restaurant on Washington Street, where he was found and taken into custody.
Due to the nature of the threat, officers conducted a pat frisk for the safety of those on scene. During the frisk, officers located a cell phone. A callback to the number used to call in the bomb threat confirmed it matched the phone in the suspect’s possession. An Explosion Detection Canine confirmed the suspect was not in possession of explosives.
Christopher McFadden, 55, of Beacon Hill, was transported to Nashua Street Jail for booking. He is expected to be arraigned at Boston Municipal Court and faces the following charges:
- Bomb/Hijack Threat with Serious Public Alarm
- Disturbing the Peace, Subsequent Offense
- Warrant, Delay of Service