Why You Need to Be Careful Picking Up Bottles

A friend of mine (my best friend) emailed me a notice about soda bottle bombs. You know those pesky bottles that you find on your front lawns from time to time. They could be laced with Drain-O and tin foil making for an explosive device.

Is it true? According to Snopes.com, the experts at separating truth from Urban Legend, this one is for real. The Drain-O and tin foil make for a volatile concoction that erupts in deadly force. Unsuspecting folks will pick up the bottles, assuming it is trash and the bottle explodes with enough force to sever fingers, blind victims and produce 2^nd and 3^rd degree burns.

Where are these soda bottle bombs showing up?
They have been found in neighborhoods across America from Michigan to Massachusetts. In Methuen, Massachusetts, there were rashes of similar plastic-bottle bomb placements, including two that blew apart mailboxes and prompted the arson investigators to issue a reward of up to $5,000 leading to the conviction of anyone responsible for making these bombs. One Methuen resident reported a soda bottle that was placed in her mailbox immediately to police after calling 911. It actually blew her mailbox to pieces before police arrived.

If you doubt the impact of Drain-O and foil in a plastic bottle - you can watch the explosion here.

Why would someone do this? A rational person wouldn't consider making a bomb for the fun of it and certainly not placing it on someone's front lawn or in their mailbox. But, as the world turns and minds twist - it has become a dangerous place and I suggest protecting yourself before picking up those soda bottles that litter the place.

You just never know what a terrorist has left behind - and it seems that "terrorists" come in the form of teens and tweens these days. The FBI and the Passaic County Sheriff Department's crime investigation team responded along with members of the state Environmental Protection Agency to an explosion inside of a Dollar Store recently. The terrorist turned out to be a middle-school boy aged 12! He was charged with second-degree arson and risking widespread injury.

As the summer approaches and the threat of widespread soda bottles littering the landscape - be careful before you pick any up because you just never know who may be trying to blow something up. It's a dangerous world.

Sources:

http://www.northjersey.com/news/crime_courts/crime_courts_news/94557264_Police_charge_12-year-old_boy_with_setting_soda_bottle_bombs.html

Snopes.com http://www.snopes.com/crime/warnings/bottlebomb.asp