Detroit Dad Injured By Explosion In Mailbox

DETROIT (WWJ) - The mailbox isn't the best place to store firecrackers. That's the message a west side youngster learned Thursday morning after his father was injured by an explosion in the family mailbox.

Police tell WWJ a firecracker exploded around 3:45 a.m. in the mailbox at the family's home on Hartwell, just off the Lodge Freeway near Outer Drive.

Investigators say the 34-year-old man's son was apparently playing with the explosives, and stowed one of them in the mailbox. When the man went to retrieve his mail, the firecracker detonated, injuring his right hand.

The man was taken to the hospital and may require surgery. Police say he suffered burns and possibly a broken finger.

Other outlets originally reported that a grenade went off in the mailbox, but police refuted those reports.