Police urge youngsters
making bombs to stop
PHILIPSBURG--Police are warning teenagers involved in tossing homemade explosives in and around school districts to cease this practice or risk injuring themselves or others.
Residents of particularly the St. Peters/South Reward school districts have reported hearing explosions that resemble gunshots going off in their areas recently at all hours of the day.
Through investigation, authorities lay the blame on teens who make so-called “crofty bombs,” a homemade chemical concoction that erupts with a fierce bang within seconds of being shaken.
The most recent incident occurred Friday in front of a school in Philipsburg, police said. One young bomb maker tossed the crofty onto the busy street just before 9:00am. The culprit ran away before police could catch him, but was later brought to the police station by his parent for a reprimand about the dangers of making crofty bombs.
According to online research, the “bomb” is the result of combining chemically-reactive components inside a plastic bottle, capping the container and shaking it to generate heat. Apparently, the reaction is exothermic, meaning it produces heat energy, and the contents expand explosively.
Police warned the island’s youth that this new fad is potentially dangerous and at the very least is jarring and disturbing to residents here. “It’s very dangerous,” cautioned police spokesman Chief Inspector Johan “Janchi” Leonard. “I know these kids are thinking it’s something fun, but I want to warn young people to leave it alone.”
