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Shirley Police Searching For Person Placing Explosives Outside Homes

SHIRLEY (CBS) - Andy Burns spent the holiday putting in a new mailbox and post at his Shirley home. His old mailbox is a twisted mass of metal.

On Friday night, someone put a powerful explosive device in Burns' mailbox, destroying it. "It's almost like an M-80 was used," Burns said. "It was a double explosion."

He has surveillance cameras, and it captured a car pulling up. Then, there was a flicker from a lighter and the object placed in the mailbox. First, a small explosion, and then a massive one that lit up the night.

Shirley mailbox
Surveillance video captures a mailbox explosion in Shirley (WBZ-TV)

"Whatever he has, where did he get it?" Burns wondered. "This day and age with people using explosives, that's not funny."

Police in Shirley say there were two other incidents this past weekend.

One victim said an explosive device was placed under the hood of her car leaving her with a shattered windshield.

On the other side of Shirley from Burns' home, a second mailbox was blown up. And residents say these aren't simple pranks.

Mailbox explosion
Someone put an explosive device in a Shirley man's mailbox (WBZ-TV)

"Well, I think the problem is somebody's going to get hurt," said Len Willette. "You know, you're using an explosive device. Someone is going to get hurt."

The crime is a federal offense which would involve postal inspectors and possibly the FBI.

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