WTHR |Pipe bomb explodes in mailbox

Pipe bomb explodes in mailbox

David MacAnally/Eyewitness News

Fishers - Police are investigating a new type of mail box bomb, one set off this week with gun powder. Now police warn the more powerful bombs will hurt someone.

They believe the mailbox bombings are random, set off in Hamilton and Marion Counties. The latest happened Monday night on Hoosier Road two blocks north of 106th Street. No one was hurt but police want the bomber stopped before someone is.

On Hoosier Road in Fishers, a letter carrier tried but couldn't deliver to a spot just north of 106th Street because the top was missing from the mailbox.

"The mailbox has been blown up with what we believe to be a pipe-bomb constructed out of PVC plastic pipe and gunpowder. We believe it was homemade," said Major Mark Bowen with the Hamilton County Sheriff's Department.

A motorist told 911 what he saw. "I was very much startled by a mailbox that appeared to be smoking, almost like a firecracker type thing."

A neighbor heard the explosion. "We knew it was something serious when we heard it."

"It appears this was just a random act," said Major Bowen. "There's no reason to believe the homeowner or the victim in this case was specifically targeted for any reason."

Police are unsure if it's linked to a series of so-called pop bottle bombs left in mailboxes and door steps in Hamilton and Marion Counties last summer. Household chemicals were mixed to explode in those cases.

"If it is (the same suspects) they have become much more sophisticated," said Major Bowen. "There's some cause for concern if they're becoming more sophisticated, more dangerous."

"That could have been our mailbox," complained one neighbor. "I'm glad no one got hurt. It kind of makes worry. You never know anymore."

It's unclear if the pipe bomb had a timer or hand-lit fuse. You are asked to call police if you see a suspicious objects around your mailbox. Don't touch it yourself.

You are also asked to call the Hamilton County Sheriff if you have any information on this case.