CONNEAUT —
Two 19-year-olds have been charged with assembling a chemical-filled “bomb” that was tossed at a Route 20 business last weekend, according to Conneaut Municipal Court records.
Maxwell Zappitella, 499 1/2 Liberty St., and Roman Lynch, South Fowler, Ind., have each been charged with inducing panic, criminal mischief and littering from a motor vehicle, all misdemeanors, according to court records. The pair are scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday, a court spokeswoman said.
The pair are accused of assembling a so-called “Works bomb” inside a plastic bottle. The device gets its name from Works toilet bowl cleaner, one of the everyday household products that are ingredients. The items are inserted into the bottle, and over time they react to create pressure that results in an explosion, according to Internet reports.
Police were dispatched to the East Side Deli Mart on East Main Road around 1:19 a.m. Sunday in response to an alarm call. The building proved to be secure, but officers at the scene noticed a greenish liquid splashed on the front doors and the remains of a water bottle.
A short time later officers stopped a vehicle on Woodworth Road, and inside the vehicle were Zappitella, Lynch and materials used in making the devices, police said. Initially, the pair denied any involvement, but when police said they were familiar with “Works bombs” they admitted they had just learned how to assemble the device and tossed one from a window, according to a report.
Safety personnel have encountered the devices in recent years, said Conneaut Fire Chief Steve Lee. “We’ve had a couple of them during my tenure,” he said.
The chemical reaction that builds inside the bottle over time creates tremendous pressure that causes the bottle to explode. The explosion is not particularly powerful, but the threat comes from the toxic chemicals it can spew on the bomb-maker or anyone who would happen to pick it up and shake it a little.
“If you hold onto it too long it can go off,” Lee said.
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