Blast from homemade bomb ‘violently’ rocks Georgia neighborhood, cops say. Man charged
A man is accused of detonating a handmade bomb that rocked an Atlanta-area neighborhood, sending debris flying everywhere, police in Georgia say.
Joseph Borlie Jr., 57, was charged with manufacturing an explosive device and reckless conduct after witnesses said he set off the bomb near Burbank Trail in Morrow on Dec. 12, according to the city’s police department.
Officers responded to the area on Monday after reports of an explosion and found a “powdery substance” covering the street. Pieces of a plastic container were also found nearby, police said.
“A witness on scene advised that Borlie lit the device which exploded shortly thereafter, sending small particles of marble and/or tile fragments in every direction,” a Morrow Police Department news release said. “The blast radius measured approximately 65 feet.”
Neighbors from several houses down reported feeling the blast, police said. No one was hurt.
“We received multiple calls from up to ten homes away, I’m told, who stated their homes shook on foundation violently,” police Maj. Mark Woodall told WAGA, adding that the device was lit on a storm drain across the street from Borlie’s house.
During a search of his home, detectives found a hefty amount of marijuana along with “potential bomb-making materials,” authorities said.
Borlie was booked into the Clayton County Jail where he remained as of Tuesday, Dec. 13, online records show.
Morrow is about 15 miles southeast of downtown Atlanta.
This story was originally published December 13, 2022 at 11:44 AM with the headline "Blast from homemade bomb ‘violently’ rocks Georgia neighborhood, cops say. Man charged."