Man who bombed Rancho Bernardo ATM during robbery attempt will do prison stretch

A Mira Mesa man who used explosives in an unsuccessful attempt to get cash from a Rancho Bernardo bank’s ATM was sentenced Wednesday to five years in prison.

Son Thanh Nguyen pleaded guilty to the June 28, 2024, attempt to break into the ATM outside the First Citizens Bank branch.

Investigators say Son Nguyen used explosives to try to get money from two ATMs in June, but both times, he came up empty.

Nguyen admitted in his plea agreement to driving to the bank in the early morning hours and sticking an improvised explosive device into the machine’s cash dispenser slot. The ATM was destroyed in the process, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Surveillance footage from the bank was used to track the license plate of the vehicle Nguyen drove to and from the scene.

About two months later, investigators searched Nguyen’s home and found chemicals and equipment used to construct the explosive device and clothes consistent with those worn during the attempt, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

Nguyen was originally also charged with a similar, alleged attempted break-in of an ATM outside a California Coast Credit Union in University Heights, but only pleaded guilty to taking part in the Rancho Bernardo incident.