Three Dundalk Bottle Bombs Reported in Four Days

Three incidents involving bottle or "Drano" bombs have been reported in the North Point precinct over the past week, according to Baltimore County Police Department officials.

One of the devices was detonated inside the Dundalk High School gym on May 25, during the school's senior farewell picnic, resulting in the arrest of an 18-year-old student, police said.

The other two incidents occurred over the weekend.

The three local incidents makes a total of six so far this year in Baltimore County, according to public safety spokeswoman Elise Armacost.

Two bottle bombs have been reported in the White Marsh precinct, and another in the Franklin Precinct resulted in the arrest of a 13-year-old boy, Armacost said in an email to Dundalk Patch.

"Our bomb squad says it typically sees an uptick in (the) use of these devices as school lets out each summer," Armacost said in the email.

The three instances of bottle or so-called "Drano" bombs in the Dundalk area began with the indoor explosion of a device at Dundalk High School on May 25.

The devices are made with drain cleaners and other common household items using instructions readily available on the Internet.

Officers used surveillance video to identify the student who set the bomb on the ground. Marco DeJuan Jones, 18, of the 2700 block of Seamon Avenue, was charged with possessing/using a destructive device and creating a disturbance on school property, Armacost said. Jones is free on a $50,000 bond.

No injuries were reported.

In the most recent incident, a resident told police he was at home in the 6800 block of Tall Oaks Road in Edgemere at about 11:30 p.m. May 27 when he saw an unfamiliar man run across his front yard, get into a car and drive away at a high rate of speed.

The victim said he saw a clear bottle on his front lawn and, upon picking it up, reported that it was extremely hot. The man left the bottle on the ground, where it exploded, splashing some of its contents onto him, causing minor injuries.

He found a second bottle containing liquid in his yard the following morning and called police.

In another local incident, on May 26, an off-duty Baltimore County police sergeant reported that he was at home in the 2400 block of Eugene Avenue in Edgemere when he heard a loud noise at about 12:30 a.m., according to Armacost.

Later that morning, he discovered the remnants of what appeared to be an explosive device. No injuries were reported.

Building, setting off or possessing a so-called Drano bomb is a felony punishable by up to 25 years and/or fines up to $250,000, according to Armacost.