Resident: Suspicious van seen in neighborhood before

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - Chris Sutton was one of dozens of Richmond Hill homeowners who attended the neighborhood only meeting Monday night. Sutton walked out of Southport Presbyterian Church not surprised to hear the news the blast is now a criminal investigation .

“It’s kind of scary that someone might set off a gas explosion in their house; two people died. It’s really scary,” he said.

"We thought something like this was more than just an accident, and with the police presence that we’ve had for the past week, the ATF agents still hanging around; it was more than an accident,” said resident Doug Aldridge..

Aldridge is the Richmond Hill subdivision crime watch captain.

“For the most part the residents were expecting this,” Aldridge said.

He said he had a front row view of the explosion. “I was very fortunate; the house across the street took the brunt of the damage; I feel very blessed,” Aldridge said.

Aldridge said the white van police are now looking for has been seen in the neighborhood before.

“That van had been a topic of issue for three weeks; we just initiated the crime watch program, which fortunately, I’m the head of and we talked with neighbors about the comings and goings of that van,” he said.

Aldridge said their focus is now starting the healing process and rebuild their neighborhood again.

“You asked people a week ago, they didn’t want to come back because they were afraid their homes were going to blow up. Now with the turn in the investigation, people are thinking this is a pretty nice neighborhood…we moved in here for certain reasons,” Aldridge said.