Resident in shock after explosion at his front door: ‘Could have been dead’

The resident will be taken care of by the neighbors on Saturday morning. He hasn’t slept all night. “I was so shocked,” says the man, who wishes to remain anonymous. Around a quarter to one he was awakened by the explosion. He immediately sat up in bed. “I first thought of a gas explosion. The fire alarm went off. When I went downstairs, I saw glass everywhere. I quickly walked out,” he says. A local resident had called 911 and the police quickly arrived.

His house is still a mess this morning. He lives there with his wife and son, but they are abroad. “The whole house is damaged. The windows upstairs are all broken.” The street is also still full of glass shards on Saturday morning. Several car windows and the window of a house across the street were shattered by the explosion. “I’ve never experienced anything like this in my life,” the man sighs. There were at least six shell casings in the street. It is not clear whether shots were fired.

Several local residents woke up Friday night. So is neighbor John. He lives next to the house where the blast was. “I looked out the window and saw large clouds of smoke ahead. At first I thought it was fireworks,” he says. “But when the smoke didn’t clear, I went outside to look. Then I saw this,” he says when he looks at the destroyed front door. “I was really shocked. This is just awful.” His kitchen was also damaged.

The resident says he has no idea why his house was targeted. The police say they are conducting an extensive investigation. “If I knew who did this, I would go straight to the police. But I really don’t know. I’ve never seen a police station inside in the 43 years I’ve lived here. I don’t have a fight either.” The local residents are also surprised. “The people who live there are quiet and nice people,” says a man.

The neighborhood was shocked by the explosion around a quarter to one:

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