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As investigators continue their investigation into the explosion of the Allentown car that killed a man, his 2-year-old son and his friend, the loved ones of the three victims, try to understand why this happened.
"Our lives will never be the same," wrote a friend on Facebook.
"I would like it all to be a bad dream and we can wake up and meet both of us here," commented another.
The three people killed in the Saturday night blast in the 700 block of Turner Street were identified Monday as being Jacob G. Schmoyer, 26; his 2-year-old son, Jonathan; and David Hallman, 66, all of Allentown.
A photo posted on Facebook by the sister of Jacob Schmoyer proudly shows him holding his son, whom the parents also call "JJ", in the delivery room. Others show a baby who always looks smiling and a toddler in a Spongebob Squarepants shirt posing next to a sprinkler.
Jacob Schmoyer was living with his son and his girlfriend in Lumber Street Block 300, about two blocks from the blast site. The girlfriend was at home Monday morning, but did not want to comment on a Morning Call reporter.
Jim Rehrig, the brother-in-law of Jacob Schmoyer and Jonathan's uncle, were looking for answers as he smoked cigarettes Monday in the yard of his Allentown home.
He described Schmoyer as an immature but intelligent young man who loved to joke.
Ryan Sabo, a resident of the city who lived near Jacob Schmoyer, described him as being calm, reserved and "almost overwhelming". He recalled a case where Schmoyer has been disputed with a neighbor about his mental health.
But Sabo said that he also knew that Schmoyer was a useful neighbor. The two men exchanged advice on illegal parking in the neighborhood.
"He was very friendly to me," said Sabo.
Don Robinson, the special officer in charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, who heads the investigation, described Schmoyer and Hallman as friends. He said that on Saturday night, they met in the 700 block of Turner Street.
Robinson would not say whether Schmoyer, his son and Hallman were inside the car, or whether there was one on the outside, when the car exploded.
"I just do not want to go into these details," he said. "We know they met at 9:30 on Saturday night and we are looking at what this meeting was all about.
"We're going to find out, I'm confident we'll find out how it happened that they meet that night."
Hallman and Jacob Schmoyer lived two blocks apart. Hallman lived at the corner of Hall Street, near the site of the explosion.
Since the day of the explosion, E. Keller Kline III, a lawyer who owns the building at 731 W. Turner St., was concerned that Hallman was one of those who died.
Kline, who was unable to enter his building due to the investigation, repeatedly called Hallman's mobile phone since the explosion but did not get an answer. Kline said the neighbors had described one of the victims and that these descriptions were very similar to those of Hallman.
When Hallman was officially identified as a victim, Kline remembered him as a retired guardian, a "good guy" and a person who would watch over the block.
"He was a good neighbor who was watching your building," said Kline, who saw Hallman for the last time the week before the blast.
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As he was watching his building, Kline allowed Hallman to park at night.
If he did not walk his "Skippy" Jack Russell terrier, it could be mostly Hallman tinkering on his car, said Kline.
Two months ago, a Morning Call reporter met with Mr. Hallman following a shooting incident in Turner Street. A man had a chest injury. Hallman was washing his car on July 31st in the alley of Hall Street when he heard three gunshots coming from Turner Street and a man running beside him north of Hall Street.
"I could have stopped it; he was so close, "Hallman told The Morning Call. "But I did not know if he was the shooter. He ran like a bat in hell.
Editors Emily Opilo and Tom Shortell contributed to this story.
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