The Willow Glen Resident

Boy finds explosive device at WG High

Cops say it could have caused fire

By Cecily Barnes

An 8-year-old Willow Glen boy discovered an explosive device while playing at the Willow Glen High School field on Friday, July 24, confirms John Carrillo, public information officer for the San Jose Police Department. David Silva carried the dangerous contraption home. When his parents returned from work, they immediately called the police.

"The explosive-control unit was called to the scene, and the device was removed without incident," Carrillo said. "The device contained burning powder that could have detonated. The high school was checked, and no other devices were located."

On Friday morning, David Silva accompanied his 15-year-old sister, Jennifer, to the high school field and played while she went jogging. When Jennifer was finished, David carried the homemade explosive he had found back to their Shibley Avenue home, where it stayed until the kids' parents returned sometime after 5 p.m.

"My son thought it was a smoke bomb, and my daughter just thought it was something that was already used," said Patti Silva. "My son called me at work and said he had found a smoke bomb. I told him to set it down somewhere and not touch it until his dad got home and could look at it."

When David Joseph Silva returned home, he smelled gun powder in the contraption and called the police.

According to Carrillo, the device wouldn't have exploded but could have caught fire, hurting people in close proximity or starting a grass fire.

"The officer reported it as being a white tube about 12 inches long, with a wick on one end of the tube protruding about 3 inches in length and looks as though it had been previously lit," Carrillo said. "When the officers responded out to the residence, they evacuated the residence and advised the neighbors to stay at home until the explosive-containment unit was able to extract the device from the containment area."

Police were unable to determine who placed the device at the high school.

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