The FBI’s recent raid of a Virginia farm, which uncovered over 150 homemade explosive devices, the largest cache in the agency’s history, has connections to Brevard County, Florida. Brad Spafford, at the center of the investigation, is married to Jacqueline Briana Lossner, who has deep ties to Cocoa. However, further details about the couple’s shared interests and rhetoric have raised even more red flags.

Jacqueline Briana Lossner, originally from Cocoa, Florida, is the daughter of Paula Lossner, a long-time teacher at Brevard Innovative Charter, and the late Tom Lossner, who served as Business Administrator at Coastal Community Church of Port St. John. Jacqueline attended Liberty University and Regent University, where she earned a degree in Communications, specializing in Cinematography and Film/Video Production. It appears that she met Brad Spafford during her time at Regent, as the couple married in December 2012 shortly after she graduated. The sole post on her Instagram account is their marriage certificate.

Her family’s legacy in Brevard County includes decades of contributions to education, faith communities, and local industry through her late father’s work with United Space Alliance and Aerodyne Industries. He passed away in 2019.
What initially appears to be a typical small-town connection to Brevard County takes a turn when examining the online activity linked to Jacqueline. On her Pinterest account, she curated a board titled “Things to Do When Bored When Preparing for Doomsday,” featuring posts about survival tactics, hydroponic gardens, emergency food storage, and firearm use. These seemingly harmless survivalist tips take on a more alarming tone when placed alongside Brad Spafford’s radical and dangerous rhetoric.
During the FBI search of Spafford’s farm in Norfolk, Virginia, agents found a vast arsenal, including over 150 explosive devices and volatile chemicals like HMTD stored in a freezer alongside food items. It is so unstable it can be exploded merely as a result of friction of temperature changes. A notebook discovered at the property contained recipes for explosive devices, further evidence of his intentions. Tools and materials for making bombs were also seized, including fuses and plastic pipe fragments. Shockingly, additional pipe bombs were found completely unsecured in a backpack in the home’s bedroom—a residence Spafford shares with his wife and two young children. The investigation began in 2023 when an informant told authorities that Spafford was stockpiling weapons and ammunition, according to court documents. The informant, a friend, told authorities Spafford had disfigured his hand in 2021 while working on homemade explosives. Prosecutors said he only has two fingers on his right hand.
Spafford’s statements to those around him, as well as his actions, reflect a disturbing mindset. He reportedly used an image of President Joe Biden for target practice. A neighbor also told authorities Spafford believed that “political assassinations should be brought back” and that “missing children in the news had been taken by the federal government to be trained as school shooters.” After President-elect Donald Trump was nearly assassinated in July at a Pennsylvania rally, Spafford allegedly told his neighbor that “he hoped the shooter doesn’t miss Kamala,” prosecutors said. Spafford also boasted about plans to fortify his property with a .50-caliber rifle mounted on a 360-degree turret.
Jacqueline’s family now finds itself linked to a national security incident that has shocked the nation alongside similar stories taking place on New Years Day including the New Orleans mass killing and the Vegas Cyber Truck bomber, both of whom used devices similar to Spafford. While the Lossners are known for their contributions to education and local church activities, Brad’s rhetoric and actions cast a shadow on this connection. Jacqueline’s online posts about doomsday preparations raise questions about whether she shared her husband’s extremist views or was simply interested in survivalism as a hobby. Both Jacqueline and her mother’s Facebook pages were public until a few hours ago. Jacqueline’s was filled with requests for prayers and support. Her mother Paula’s included a lot of post from right leaning political figures like Candace Owens. Her late father’s page is still published.
This connection between what appears to be a quiet Cocoa family and an individual implicated in such a significant criminal case may come as a shock to Brevard County citizens. The Lossner family’s community involvement and positive contributions starkly contrast with Brad Spafford’s violent and extremist ideologies. Residents who know the family are left grappling with how someone so close to home became tied to one of the FBI’s most significant explosive seizures.
But Brevard County is not a stranger to political national news. In fact, with tomorrow being January 6th, we are reminded that Brevard County was number 1 in the nation in arrests for for those who participated in the events of that day 4 years ago at the Nation’s Capitol.
As the investigation into Brad Spafford’s actions continues, the broader Brevard community will undoubtedly be following closely, seeking answers to how national security and extremism intersected with their own backyard.
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