The Oxford Police Department (OPD) witnesses a variety of crimes and incidences throughout weekends. However, one of the more rare incidences occurred recently when a “bottle bomb” went off in a parking lot in Oxford.

According to an Oxford Police Department incident report, officers were dispatched to a report of a “bottle bomb” set off in the parking lot at 550 S. Locust April 7.

Incidences like this are rare, however not unheard of, according to OPD Sgt. Jon Varley.

“This is probably the second time this has happened,” Varley said.

Varley called the makeshift bomb a “Drano bomb” made out of a Drano bottle with cleaning products. Varley said he did not know the chemicals contained in the bomb but said the people who set it off most likely received instructions off the Internet.

“A bomb like that is basically a chemical reaction in about a 2 liter bottle,” he said. “It will explode in more or less and then spray a chemical around.”

Varley said what was set off in the parking lot is not the same as what most people think of when they think of bombs. The “Drano bomb” is more of a homemade “bomb.”

“It’s not like a regular bomb or anything,” he said, “People can look it up and get chemicals off the Internet.”

However, Miami University sophomore Courtney Bowers said she feels whether or not it’s a “regular” bomb, it still is at least a small cause for concern.

“Even if it didn’t harm anyone, it’s still concerning to me,” Bowers said. “If people would’ve been around the parking lot when that went off, it could’ve ended really badly. People using chemicals in the middle of the night that they probably know nothing about definitely is still concerning to me at least.”

According to the OPD report, the bomb was thrown in the parking lot but by the time officers arrived, there was nobody there. There was no damage nor were there injuries and there are currently no suspects at this time.

Miami University sophomore Nikki Boyer said, “I’ve heard of kids trying to make those before. It sounds like something a bunch of kids would do to just mess around for no reason. I don’t think people get how dangerous things like that can become.”