Teens Arrested for Creating 'Acid Bombs'

Thanks to footage on the Internet, Baltimore County youths are among the latest to be introduced to “The Works” bomb.

Two teenage boys were arrested May 25 after allegedly exploding two of the homemade devices. The boys learned how to make the explosives after viewing a video on YouTube, according to a police report.

A teacher witnessed the boys around 7 p.m. the night in question running away from the playground at in Bowleys Quarters following a loud explosion, according to a police report.

Police then found one exploded water bottle with pieces of aluminum foil inside and around the bottle. The bottle was located on the steps leading to the sliding board. Police also found another plastic bottle inside an aluminum trash can with several balled up pieces of aluminum foil and clear liquid in the bottom of the can, according to the report.

Another juvenile witnessed the boys set off the explosions and alerted police to their identity. According to police reports, when confronted about the explosions, one of the boys’ mother responded, “You didn’t do that thing on YouTube, did you?”

“We see stuff like this every couple of years,” said Baltimore County police Lt. Joseph Jamerson. “Many don’t realize it’s illegal to set these off. It’s an explosive device. So far so one has been hurt, as they usually set them off in open field, but it only takes one instance for someone to get really hurt.”

The boys in Bowleys Quarters are just the latest to be caught creating such bombs, which police call improvised chemical reaction devices or an “acid bomb.”

The explosive devices are created by mixing over-the-counter cleaning chemicals with aluminum foil balls in a bottle. The reaction of the foil and the chemicals cause the bottle to quickly fill with smoke before exploding. Similar cases have been reported in several states, including , , New York and California among other states.

Maryland Department of the Environment spokesman Jay Apperson said local fire departments are usually the ones that clean up the chemicals from such devices. But, he added, MDE supplies the neutralizers used by fire departments for such cleanups.

In addition, Apperson said cleaning supplies can cause severe damage to people’s skin and warns others of those dangers. He cited as a prime example the 2007 case of a 2-year-old boy who suffered critical burns after going down a slide that was doused by industrial strength drain cleaner at Victory Villa Elementary School.

Baltimore County police spokesman Lt. Robert McCullough reiterated Apperson’s concerns and added that the incident in Bowleys Quarters is not the first in the county but is not widespread, either.

McCullough said parents need to be aware of what their children are viewing on the Internet, and if they believe their children are building such devices, should contact police.

“These devices have the capability to seriously hurt those that create them and those around them,” McCullough said. “Children also have to be aware that they could be charged with a felony for creating an explosive device like this.

“Just because you see something done on the Internet does not mean it’s OK to do it," McCullough said. "Please remember to think and act responsibly.”