An Orange County teenager whose home science experiments sparked a three-day FBI probe has insisted it is all a misunderstanding and that he was trying to find a cure for cancer.
Amalvin Fritz, 17, said he was mixing water, rubbing alcohol and chemicals commonly found in Epsom salts and nail polish remover at his Irvine home when his landlord discovered the experiments and raised the alarm.
The University of California, Irvine biology student, who skipped high school, said he hopes to become a doctor and work on a cure for cancer, after losing his aunt to the disease in recent years.
“What my interest truly was in is in creating these molecules called Cubanes, which have a three-dimensional structure, which can be manipulated in a way to allow these molecules to bind directly and in an efficient and better way than people have bound these compounds ever before,” Fritz told NBC4.
“And this has been a truly personal battle for me because I lost my aunt to cancer in 2020,” he added.
Fritz’s landlord called the police last month after stumbling upon one of his experiments and seeing chemical formulas on a whiteboard.
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FBI agents and hazmat crews rushed to the house located in an exclusive gated community on Monday afternoon and remained there as of Tuesday evening.
A specialized California National Guard unit investigating alleged weapons of mass destruction joined them at the FBI’s request, sources familiar with the case told NBC4.
The family’s attorney said Fritz was conducting experiments and pointed to his YouTube channel, where he shares instructional chemistry videos.
“We categorically deny the allegations that have been suggested and reject any implication that [Fritz] poses a threat in any way, shape, or form,” attorney Charles M. Ray said in a statement.
“There is no credible evidence to support the narrative that has begun to circulate, and we are confident that when the facts are reviewed objectively, that will become clear,” he added.
Fritz said he was using protective equipment and does not believe he was doing anything dangerous, although experts say experiments of that nature should only be performed in laboratories.
The FBI is continuing to investigate, and no charges have been made in the case.
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