The man accused of planting pipe bombs outside the Republican and Democratic National Committees before the Jan. 6 riot is a Chihuahua-obsessed, Crocs-loving, “autistic-like” 30-year-old who lives with his parents, family and neighbors told The Post.

Brian Cole Jr. was known as a recluse in his Virginia neighborhood about 20 miles outside Washington, DC, where he was regularly seen walking his pocket-sized pup to and from a local 7-Eleven. 

“He would wear shorts all winter long, no matter how cold it was, he would be outside in shorts, walking — and he would wear red Crocs,” one longtime neighbor recalled. 

“We would always just comment, ‘Like, how is he in shorts? It’s 20 degrees out in his red Crocs, walking his dog all winter long?’” the local added. “We all knew him as the guy that walked the Chihuahua.”

Cole was arrested by the FBI Thursday morning. Prosecutors allege he’s the mysterious man seen planting pipe bombs outside the leading political party offices on Jan. 5, 2021, the night before President Biden’s electoral victory over President Trump was certified.

The “viable explosive devices” were discovered the next day, just as an unruly crowd of Trump supporters broke out into a riot and invaded the Capitol building.

Footage from the bomb planting showed a suspect skulking around the city in a gray hooded sweatshirt, a mask, gloves, glasses, a pair of Nike Air Max Speed Turf sneakers and a backpack — and prosecutors said that suspect was Cole.

Sources told The Post that investigators were looking into his possible connection with some form of “anarchist” writings or leanings, though specifics were not immediately known.

But family and some neighbors are convinced the FBI has the wrong man.

“I don’t believe this at all,” said Cole’s distraught grandma, Loretta. “He’s not a terrorist.”

“He’s almost autistic-like because he doesn’t understand a lot of stuff. I hope he is not talking,” she added.

She said he works at their family bail bonds company, Brian Cole Bail Bonds, which was raided by the FBI. Cole’s mother is also a “loving” real estate agent, and he has a brother and a sister.

“He’s very naïve. He would not hurt a fly. He’s just not that kind of person,” Loreatta insisted.

Neighbors on his Woodbridge street agree, with numerous speculating that Cole was on the spectrum and recounting how he always kept to himself when he was doing the rounds with his beloved Chihuahua.

“He doesn’t talk. He doesn’t talk to anybody,” one neighbor said.

“He is very anti-social, very. He keeps to himself,” they added. “Very introverted — very, very introverted.”

Several neighbors also felt that the stature of Cole and the suspect seen planting the bombs didn’t line up at all.

“The guy that I know that walks the dog is pretty short and has real short legs, like uncommonly short legs,” a neighbor said.

“I would think that a gait analysis would be pretty easy to either rule him out or confirm because his legs are, I would say, uncommonly short,” they added.

Still, some said if he is the man, then they are glad to see he’s no longer living in a house next door — where he may have been manufacturing homemade explosives.

“If he’s making bombs, maybe they’re in there. But surely they found that by now,” one neighbor said.

Cole’s grandma, however, is adamant that her grandson is innocent.

“He’s just a gentle person,” she said, explaining that he leaves the house for little more than groceries and has no idea why he’d be in DC that Jan. 5.

“I don’t know. He was doing DoorDash for a while,” she said. “He doesn’t have any ties to DC.

“I don’t even know how they included him in this.”

Additional reporting by Jacqueline Sweet and Alex Oliveira