July 09, 2019
A 12-year-old boy is the second person this month to be hospitalized due to injuries suffered by holding an explosive device when it detonated, police said.
The boy was playing with the illegal device near Houseman Playground on the 5000 block of Summerdale Avenue in Northeast Philadelphia around 6 p.m. on Monday, NBC10 reported.
Police said the boy threw the explosive, but it didn't go off. He then picked it up and it exploded in his hands. It's unclear if he originally ignited the device.
The boy was rushed to St. Christopher's Hospital for Children and is in critical condition, but is expected to survive. CBS Philly reported the boy lost a finger and had serious palm and knuckle injuries.
HAPPENING NOW: A 12-year-old is rushed to the hospital after an illegal explosive device exploded in his hands in Houseman Recreation Center. Police say he lost a finger and has serious palm and knuckle injuries. Police describe his injuries as “life altering”. @CBSPhilly pic.twitter.com/1QQ6YcQQp1
— Kimberly Davis CBS3 (@KimberlyDavisTV) July 8, 2019
The device had explosive power equal to a quarter stick of dynamite, according to CBS Philly. No further details were provided on where the boy got the explosive.
This is the second time this month that a child has suffered life-altering injuries from using illegal explosives in Philadelphia.
Days before the Fourth of July holiday, a 9-year-old girl was rushed to St. Christopher's for similar injuries when an M-80 firework detonated inside her Kensington home. Investigators called her injuries "severe," "devastating" and "life-altering."
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