Allentown police and fire department officials, along with Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin, Coroner Scott Grim, the Homicide Task Force, Pennsylvania State Police, special agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the FBI are investigating a car explosion which occurred 9:30 p.m. Sept. 29 in the 700 block of Turner Street, Allentown.

Authorities investigating the explosion revealed the names of the deceased during a news conference Oct. 1 at 7th and Linden Streets, Allentown.

Grim said the three killed were David Hallman, 66, Jacob Schmoyer, 26, and his 2-year-old son Jonathan, all of Allentown.

All died of traumatic injuries but Grim has not yet ruled on the manner of their death, he stated.

According to Don Robinson, special agent in charge with the ATF, at the news conference, the elder Schmoyer and Hallman knew each other and were friends.

“We are dealing with a material that exploded, that could be anything from an accident to an explosive device,” He said.

“We have material that went quite a distance.”

All debris collected so far has been sent to a lab in Maryland, Robinson stated.

Robinson said they took three vehicles - the car that exploded and two others which were close by - to an off-site location to be examined.

“This is an isolated incident,” he said. “We are in the preliminary stages of the investigation.

“I am not prepared to say it was drug related.”

He said there were 50 ATF agents on scene conducting the investigation.

Peter Brown, executive director of the Lehigh Valley-Bucks Chapter of the American Red Cross, said 30 residents were provided assistance with mental health and food.

Brown said they were closing the shelter set up at Cleveland Elementary School, 424 N. 9th St., for anyone who had been displaced by the incident.

Robinson gave no cause for the explosion. He expected they would be done collecting evidence and have all personnel removed from the scene by Oct. 2.

Allentown Police Chief Tony Alsleben thanked residents for their patients during the investigation

The investigation is ongoing. Anyone who may have information related to this incident is asked to contact the ATF at 215-446-9678.