Man Hurt After Strange Object Explodes, Neighbors Wondering If It Was Planted

Follow CBSMIAMI.COM: Facebook | Twitter 

MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- People in a southwest Miami-Dade neighborhood want answers after a man was rushed to the hospital after picking up a strange object that exploded in his hand.

Police said it happened just before eight o'clock Friday morning when the man was working on someone's roof. According to police, he picked up what he thought was a firework, squeezed it, setting it off.

Neighbors said police got there within minutes along with Miami-Dade Fire and Rescue.

"Don't park on the grass, don't walk on the grass, something could be on there that can be dangerous," neighbor Jeniffer Walker said.

Neighbors told police they've heard at least three explosions go off in the area in the last month in the early morning hours. Just last week, Jeniffer Walker said she heard a loud boom from outside.

She said, "Another day I was sitting in the kitchen and I heard it again and I was like oh there we go again"

Then back in December, same thing. Except this time, Katherine Driscol, another neighbor, said she saw a cloud of smoke coming from her front lawn.

"There were neighbors outside and everybody on the block came running," she said.

"We couldn't find any debris, we couldn't find any sign of an explosion other than the smoke which dissipates very quickly," she added.

Miami-Dade police said they're still not sure what that object was, so for safety reasons, they called out a bomb technician to investigate. No word on what they think it is

Police said that worker was taken to a local hospital in stable condition.