- May 4, 2024
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An Ormond-by-the-Sea man described the explosion as similar to a shotgun blast.
BY WAYNE GRANT | STAFF WRITER
Volusia County Fire Services, Hazmat and Bomb Squad, along with the state fire marshal and sheriff’s deputies, responded Saturday morning to a residence in Ormond-by-the-Sea after a homeowner reported a bomb going off beside his house about 10 p.m. the night before.
“It sounded like an M-80 or a 12-gauge shotgun,” Ronald Smith said, describing the incident at 20 Pinta St. “It shook the window.”
The homemade bomb went off just outside the window where Smith, the homeowner, was watching television.
“By the time I got my shoes on and got a flashlight and went outside, I didn’t see anybody,” he said. He did not hear the sounds of a car speeding away or a person running after the blast.
It was too dark to see anything, Smith said, so he went back inside. The next morning, he called police after finding that a bush had burn damage and there were pieces of plastic and tin foil scattered around.
“It was a green plastic, like a soda bottle,” he said, also noting an acidic smell.
The police report says that a “bottle bomb” was thrown at the residence.
Smith theorizes that the person tried to throw it onto the roof of the house, but it hit tree limbs and fell down into the yard.
Two other people, Smith’s granddaughter and great-granddaughter were in the house at the time. There were no injuries or property damage except for the bush.
The police kept all the material for evidence and the hazmat team collected the pieces of the bottle that still contained liquid, which they later identified as gluconic acid.
A neighborhood canvas by police did not result in any extra information.
Smith said on Monday that nothing has happened since the incident, and he has no suspects in mind.
“I’m friendly with everybody,” he said.
