More Than $10k Raised To Support Philly Bomb Victim As He Recovers

More than $10,000 has already been raised for the victim of a bomb explosion in a Philadelphia apartment last week.

Friends of Jim Alden, 60, are banding together in the wake of the attack, which left him hospitalized with burns on his face, hands, and chest.

Authorities continue to search for clues in the November 22 incident at Alden's apartment on the 1800 block of Pine Street. Alden had just returned from a weekend in New York visiting with friends from California, an annual tradition. It was four in the morning, and when he saw a manila envelope that had come in the mail, he assumed it was his asthma medication, which he routinely receives via mail.

When he opened the package, the bomb exploded. Police say that the bomb was specifically intended by Alden.

But the question remains: why? According to Alden's friends, he is active in the LGBT community. He is "open" about his political views and sexual orientation. Police have said that they are not ruling out any motive, including the possibility of a hate crime. In Alden's Pine Street window is a "Love Trumps Hate" rainbow sign.

"This was a highly personal attack," wrote Alden's friend, Talbott Smith.

The attack left Alden without parts of two fingers and friends say he would have been blinded had he not removed his contact lenses and put on his glasses immediately before he opened the envelope. Shrapnel has been removed from his chest and face.

Alden, a native of Modesto, California, is active in the theatre community, performing in several local plays and cabaret productions.

The YouCaring Fundraiser page indicates that funds will be used to help pay significant medical copays, ongoing treatments, physical treatments, and future reconstructive surgeries.

Image courtesy YouCaring.