Cops: Mass. teen learned to make bottle bomb on YouTube

DUXBURY, Mass. -- Two bottle bombs discovered in mailboxes in a coastal Massachusetts town are likely part of a youth prank, police said, reports CBS Boston.

Police in Duxbury, about 35 miles southeast of Boston, responded on Sunday after a homeowner found a plastic bottle that was "oozing" in their mailbox. Investigators reportedly determined it was an active bottle bomb made using common household chemicals.

Police found two of the bottle bombs in mailboxes in the area and roads were closed as Massachusetts State Police bomb technicians rendered them safe, reports the station.

Monday, investigators said they believe it was not a random act, and they've identified four teenagers they believe are responsible after a witness saw them running from the area.

"At this point the act appears to be a prank being played on an acquaintance," police said in a statement.

One of the teenagers apparently learned how to make the bottle bomb from a YouTube video, police said.

Though they're calling it a prank, investigators say the bottle bombs could have caused serious injury, though neither one detonated.

"They could really damage their bodies with it, especially the acid in the eyes, they could lose sight," Duxbury Fire Chief Kevin Nord said, according to CBS Boston.