Eric set fire to a bridge in NY

In reading the police interview with Sasha Jacobs (dated Eric from late 97 to early 98) she stated Eric told her he set fire to a bridge while he lived in New York state.

Jacobs also stated she received threatening voice & emails from EH, including bombs & death threats.

The attempt to burn the bridge is the first pre Colorado signs of warped criminal behavior from EH that I have read. Definitely supports the analysis that 4/20 was not the reason, but the oppty EH had to release his anguish & that it would have been something else down the line if not for CHS.

I'm not sure if his statement about burning a bridge is believable,
There's not proof that it happened other than her statement of what EH said.

I doubt it's true. Eric was trying to look like a tough badass. I bet he made that up to try and impress her.

*Edit: And also, that's if Eric even said it at all. You have to remember that after Columbine happened, everyone and their Mother had some kind of conversation with Eric and/or Dylan. Tons of people came out of the woodwork saying that they talked to the boys.

It's not out of the realm of believability. He did try to blow up the school. I have never believed that Eric suddenly went from being a good kid to being a homicidal lunatic overnight.

Actually Eric's entire teenage career was a series of attacks on neighbors, local children, etc.

I'm on the side of it being true.

She dated EH for several months.. not like she was trying to get her :15 minutes of fame, she had a real connection & multiple examples of violent or destructive behaviors by EH that are consistent to what we now know.

EH was diagnosed by some of the best in the business as sociopathic. Sociopaths don't just star being crazy in their mid teens, it would be expected that EH would have done something highly criminal/destructive much earlier in his life.

I don't think it's true because Eric was more of a son his father would be proud of, he used all his clever abilities for good and to benefit himself not for destruction, he also dressed smartly and had a happy outlook on life, it wasn't until Columbine when he became angry and 'dark' and started to dress in black and cause mischief. The Eric before all of that was a completely different guy.

I'm sure if you went back in time and saw Eric in school when he was 14, he would bring the teacher an apple and work hard on his science project, and comb his hair neatly, and not the rebel that he had made himself into in his later years, but a polite and tidy guy, I don't think that Eric would do this type of thing.

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I could see him doing it, even if he had a squeaky clean persona.

Eric was always bragging about manipulating adults to cover his various petty crimes and lies. I have no problem seeing him doing this really on in his life, simply because an act of aggression like the Columbine shooting doesn't just materialize over the course of one year.

I don't know if I would categorize Eric as a sociopath. In the various writings and the BT, he indicates conflicted emotions. I think he had a cocktail of mild mental issues that were exacerbated by his family's constant relocation. This, coupled with an emotionally distant father, would create an environment where developing disassociative disorders would be possible.

He loved fire, though. I can see him torching a bridge early on in his criminal life.

Assuming this really happened, I don't think it automatically proves anything even considering what happened later.
A ton of kids are involved in vandalism at some point.
It is a problem everywhere but especially in urban areas.
If Eric did do it, I doubt he did it alone.
I would bet at least one friend was involved also.

You either believe Eric was able to kill only @ the age of 17+ due to the culture & abuse @ CHS.. or that he was a sociopath in the making & had signs, issues leading up to this event for a long time.

I clearly see a lot of signs of sociopathic behavior leading up to his Jr/Sr year in various aspects of his life & relationships that have nothing to do with CHS.

CHS in my opinion was the icing on the cake/perfect stage.. he was either going to shoot up his barracks in the military or kill his ex gf @ work or shoot his boss one day. Just a matter of time or oppty.. he found it @ CHS.

CHS is a microcosm of American life.

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you summed up one of my core beliefs about this in your post directly above.
I firmly believe that if Eric and Dylan had lived in a different community and attended another school that was more open minded and accepting and or Eric could have stayed in New York state that we would have not heard of Columbine.I don't accept the idea that he was predestined to do something bad.
I don't know if I accept that about anyone.
There are so many events and factors that make up a life.
I think  that until someone actually crosses over the line that you can't return from there is always hope.

I don't think it happened. Here's an alledged basement tape quote from Eric:

Eric Harris wrote:

"I could convince them that I'm going to climb Mount Everest, or I have a twin brother growing out of my back. I can make you believe anything."

Eric certainly liked to confuse people, lead them on and generally make them believe all sorts of crazy things. I wouldn't be the least surprised if he lied to her. Sounds just like the sort of thing Eric would do.