Police Seek Leads In Homemade Explosive Case

are seeking information about a homemade explosive device that was left at the intersection of Beechnut and Nutmeg Drives and ignited just after 4 p.m. on Mar. 11.

Police officers and fire personnel responded to a report of an explosion, which left behind singed aluminum foil, a four-foot circle of yellow-colored fluid, and a shredded water bottle, according to Ptlm. Derek Parascandolo’s report.

Greg Meynier from the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management was called to process the scene and decontaminate the area.

A witness told police that she was approaching the intersection when she saw a water bottle filled with blue liquid standing in the roadway. She told Parascandolo she drove around the bottle without striking it.

After she passed by the bottle, “she heard a loud explosion” and “observed white smoke emanating from the water bottle,” according to the police report. There was no damage to the woman’s vehicle.

Meynier told Parascandolo the bottle contained liquids common in household items that can cause an explosion when placed in a container and sealed.

Further investigation into the explosion is planned, Parascandolo noted in his report. The suspect or suspects could be charged with a felony count of manufacturing or possessing an explosive without a license.

Anyone with information on this case is asked to call the Johnston Police at (401) 231-4210.