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Daniel Jongyon Park dies in custody after being indicted for bombing outside U.S. fertility clinic

Published: 25 Jun. 2025, 08:52

Daniel Jongyon Park, 32, of Kent, Washington, who was arrested by FBI agents on charges alleging he provided material support to the Palm Springs fertility clinic bomber, appears in an undated drivers license photograph. [FBI/REUTERS/YONHAP]

Daniel Jongyon Park, who was indicted as an accomplice in last month's car bombing outside a fertility clinic in Palm Springs, California, died in custody on Tuesday, according to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.

According to the bureau, 32-year-old Park was found unresponsive at around 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday morning at the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles.

Staff at the facility attempted life-saving measures and transported Park to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead. No staff or other inmates at the facility were injured, and there was no threat to public safety, the bureau added.

The agency said it has notified relevant authorities, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It did not disclose the cause of death.

U.S. federal prosecutors previously arrested and charged Park with providing material support — including bomb-making supplies — to the perpetrator of the Palm Springs fertility clinic bombing.

The American Reproductive Centers office is damaged after an explosion, in Palm Springs, California, on May 17, 2025. [EPA/YONHAP]

The attacker, identified as 25-year-old Guy Edward Bartkus of California, drove an explosive-laden vehicle to the clinic and detonated it on May 17, severely damaging part of the building and injuring four nearby individuals. Bartkus was killed in the blast. As the attack occurred on a weekend, the clinic was closed, and no staff or patients were harmed.

Prosecutors said their investigation found that Park and Bartkus met through an online group that believed in extreme antinatalism — a philosophy that opposes childbirth and population growth. Park allegedly purchased a large quantity of ammonium nitrate, a highly explosive substance, and supplied it to Bartkus. He also stayed at Bartkus' home, where the two reportedly assembled the explosive device.

Following the bombing, Park fled to Europe by plane. He was apprehended in Poland approximately two weeks later at the request of the U.S. Department of Justice. Park was extradited to the United States on June 3 and detained at the Los Angeles federal facility starting June 13, where he was awaiting trial.

Local media reported that Park was born in the Seattle area in Washington state and, based on his use of the Korean surname Park and the Korean given name Jongyon, was presumed to be Korean American.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY JANG GU-SEUL [[email protected]]