Juveniles Use Neighborhood Park in East Clovis for Noisy Mischief

People living near a neighborhood park at Keats and Magnolia (north of Shaw and west of Temperance) are reporting that “explosives” (sound equal to that of an M-80) have been going off in recent days. On Sunday (1/24) evening about 6 o’clock, Clovis Police responded to a call of three high school aged boys setting off “bombs” in the park. When the officer arrived on scene, he found two plastic water bottles that had blown apart, and one Gatorade bottle that posed no obvious hazard. The suspects had left the park before the officer arrived.

A little before 9 o’clock this morning, the Clovis Fire Department responded to a call regarding 3 plastic “bottle bomb” devices. Again, two had blown apart and a third remained intact and inert. Bleach seemed to be the common denominator in the bottles discovered today.

Fortunately, no one has been hurt in these incidents, and no property appears to have been damaged. Police and firefighters believe the young people behind these pranks are using “recipes” they find on the Internet to make these explosive 1 to 2 liter bottle “bombs.” The pranksters face the same dangers or worse than if they were playing with illegal fireworks.

Clovis Police and Firefighters encourage parents to watch what their teenagers are doing on the Internet and around the house. Most of these devices only require plastic bottles and chemicals – mostly cleaning liquids or tablets – found in the home. If you see any suspicious activity in your neighborhood, you are encouraged to call the police department right away.

News Release Date: 1/26/10
Contact:  Janet Stoll-Lee, Public Information Officer (559) 324-2447