An 11-year-old boy was injured at a Massachusetts school after a student threw a chemical-reaction bomb outside on Monday, WCVB-TV reported.
The incident occurred at Cardinal O'Connell Alternative School in Lowell around 3:12 p.m. When first responders arrived, the victim was suffering from non-life-threatening injuries.
The victim, Nicholas Desanogueira, is a student at Butler Middle School and was walking past Cardinal O'Connell when he was hit with the explosion.
Desanogueira's father brought him to the hospital to have tests performed and so far there are no signs of permanent damage, according to The Lowell Sun.
Once police officers realized they were dealing with an explosive, they requested the assistance of State Fire Marshal Stephen Coan and determined the explosion was the result of a "soda bomb."
"These are fairly common devices that kids tend to experiment with," Coan told the Sun. "There are plenty of recipes on the Internet for them and this time of year when the weather is good and the kids are out it tends to be some kind of rite of passage, it seems."
Coan added the soda bombs pop up frequently around the state.
"They are very prevalent," he said. "This isn't the first one we've responded to this month and it's not going to be the last."
The unidentified student responsible for throwing the explosion will reportedly be charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, unlawful possession of an explosive device, and trespassing.
