Foil Balls and clear liquid

[Les]

The Great One has run onto another situation he does not understand.

Huge new vacant house in a cornfield; sitting two years. Master bedroom carpeted walkin closet with two painted metal closet rods. One built-in shoe rack. Incandescant ceiling light and a pocket door.

House was broken into and two intruders went to the closet and spent abt 45minutes inside closet with door closed. They left behind a plastic water bottle laying down with abt 6oz of a volitile clear liquid and one melted side. If you set the bottle upright the liquid would run out. Smells like acetone, but couple times stronger and did not evaporate nor could you smell it except when you really stuck your nose close to bottle. It would nearly knock you down if you took a good whiff.

There are seven small alum foil balls (kids marble) that are stained with brown stuff. Four pieces of a crystaline dark brown stuff scattered about. Irregular shapes, none larger than a good sized peanut.

Closet rods have specks of soot stuff stuck to them. Plastic door also has some specks of soot stuff, but none on walls nor painted wood trims or shelfs.

Light bulbs carefully removed and stomped into carpet at far corners of closet.

It appears two people stayed in closet for abt forty-five minutes, according to one neighbor hearing break-in and then seeing lights go on and off in master bedroom. One of the genius visitors closed the other one in a glass walk-in shower and watched as genius #2 smashed his/her way out.

Based on the size of the stool sample left on landing and in bathtub, both succumbed to the calls of nature.

Back on the first level they shook and sprayed 2litre bottles of diet coke all around and left.

Question - what the hell were they doing in the closet? Why the alum foil balls? What is the clear liquid? Who is going to win the Kentucky Derby?

Respectfully submitted.

[randynavarro]

Crack.

[hausdok]

Hi Les,

Call the fire marshal. Sounds like an attempt at thrill arson and their device didn't work.

OT - OF!!!

M.

[Bain]

Originally posted by randynavarro

Crack.

I second, Randy. Though it may have been some other drug.

I think you mix the whatever up in the foil, put a lighter beneath it, and then whiff the fumes. The crystaline dark brown stuff was probably the burned remains of the heated mixture.

I wonder why the neighbor didn't call the po-lice.

[Les]

Hate to admit it, but the fire marshall and police are who called me. Ain't crack or at least any mo I am aware of.

Insurance adjuster does not know squat. My focus is on the damage and what the heck went on in the closet and remedy.

Where is Henry Lee when I need him!

[hausdok]

Hmm,

Don't remember all of the particulars (it's been nearly 20 years), but I seem to recall a couple of recipes from the field-expedient demolitions and incindiaries module of the SF Q course that used certain chemical powders, flammable liquids and aluminum foil. You'd be amazed at some of the crap you can do with stuff bought right off the shelf.

It does sound like they might have been getting high though - perhaps huffing fumes of whatever that was you found.

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

[Bill Kibbel]

What you found is exactly what's described when a "bottle bomb" aka "work bomb" has been discovered.

Lately, it's been a frequent occurrence around here. They're created by bored teens in usually upscale neighborhoods. They've left these bombs in mailboxes, parks, rec. fields, vacant homes, a school and even a church.

They're usually in a 2 liter or smaller plastic bottle and contain household cleaners, aluminum foil and sometimes other random chemicals or fuel. A delayed explosive reaction occurs when the ingredients are mixed.

[Bill Kibbel]

http://blogs.phillyburbs.com/news/bcct/ ... on-friday/

www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/111-092 ... 96115.html

[Jim Katen]

Originally posted by Les

. . . Back on the first level they shook and sprayed 2litre bottles of diet coke all around and left. . .

http://www.i-am-bored.com/bored_link.cfm?link_id=25948

- Jim Katen, Oregon

[hausdok]

Originally posted by inspecthistoric

What you found is exactly what's described when a "bottle bomb" aka "work bomb" has been discovered.

Lately, it's been a frequent occurrence around here. They're created by bored teens in usually upscale neighborhoods. They've left these bombs in mailboxes, parks, rec. fields, vacant homes, a school and even a church.

They're usually in a 2 liter or smaller plastic bottle and contain household cleaners, aluminum foil and sometimes other random chemicals or fuel. A delayed explosive reaction occurs when the ingredients are mixed.

Yeah,

What they don't know is that they're missing one very simple but important ingredient. Add that and they'd have about a minute and a half to clear out before things would light up very hot and very fast.

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

[Les]

thanks for the education!! I am forming an opinion, based on info, it was a combination of drugs and destruction.