The 31-year-old
who was arrested on Saturday with his pregnant girlfriend in their West Village apartment for possessing explosive powder claims the substance is part of a firework. "It was a very small amount of experimental fireworks," Aaron Greene told the Post in an interview at Rikers Island. "I was going to take it out in the country and try it out—just an experiment...I am a good person, despite all that's been said—I had no intention of doing damage or hurting anyone."
Greene, who a neighbor described to Gothamist as "kind of cold, not the type of person who encourages politeness," has a criminal history that includes multiple weapons charges, and a sentence of a year in prison in 2005 for stabbing a bouncer. In 2012 Greene served five months in jail after he and Gliedman were found in a Washington Heights car with a Ruger Mini-14 assault rifle in the trunk.
His girlfriend, 27-year-old Morgan Gliedman, gave birth to their daughter Melody on Monday. In addition to the weapons charges, she is charged with four felony counts of grand larceny stemming from an incident last February in which she allegedly went home with a man and left with his credit card. Gliedman attended The Dalton School before earning degrees at NYU and the Art Institute of Chicago. A spokesman from the Manhattan DA's office says that Gliedman has yet to be arraigned due to her recent hospitalization.
Police say they found seven grams of the explosive HMTD, a sawed-off shotgun, an over-under shotgun, and 60 shotgun shells in the couple's apartment at 8 West 9th Street. Investigators conducted the search with a warrant issued after a tipster who showered at the couple's apartment reported suspicious activity. NYPD spokesman Paul Browne called the couple "admitted heroin addicts," despite there being no drugs found in the apartment.
Asked why he needed the weapons, Greene told the Post, "I'm a sportsman, an outdoorsman. Hunting and fishing," and added that his girlfriend is "not involved in this." Greene's attorney, Lisa Pelosi, has not returned requests for comment. Greene is scheduled to appear in court tomorrow.
[UPDATE] This article originally referred to Greene as a "Harvard graduate." That is incorrect. Read our correction here.
