Mountain Dew Bottles Being Used to Make Dangerous Mailbox Bombs in Geneva

Geneva police say vandals are making what appear to be homemade bombs out of Mountain Dew bottles.

The practice isn't isolated to Geneva or to Illinois. YouTube videos show similar incidents in places from Port St. Lucie, FL, to Reston, VA, to Green Lake County, WI.

It can be dangerous. One person in Reston was injured. "It needs to be made public. This is no joke," she tells Fox News in this YouTube video.

Here are the Geneva police reports:

Criminal Damage to Property Under $300—Someone damaged the metal roadside mailbox of a home in the 100 block of Winthrop Lane sometime around 9 p.m. Oct. 1, reports said. The owner said he heard a loud boom at that time but did not see or hear anything else suspicious. The value of the mailbox was estimated at $50. An empty Mountain Dew bottle was found near the scene.

Criminal Damage to Property Under $300—Someone damaged a mailbox in the 2300 block of Deerfield Way around 10:30 p.m. Sept. 30, reports said. Police responded to a report of a mailbox lying in the street and talked to the homeowner, who was unaware of the mailbox damage but reported hearing a loud boom at around 10:30 p.m. There were remnants of two plastic Mountain Dew bottles and aluminum foil on the street next to the box. “It appeared the mailbox was blown up with a homemade bomb,” reports said. The mailbox was valued at $50.

If you have information on this or any other crime in Geneva, please contact the Geneva Police Department at (630) 232-4736.