Man charged for detonating 80 pounds of explosive during gender reveal party

Shudders from blast felt across two states, reports say

A man in Kingston, near Massachusetts, has been charged after he allegedly detonated 80 pounds of explosives as part of a gender reveal that was heard across two states.

Anthony Spinelli was booked after an alleged stunt to reveal the gender of his unborn child rattled resident’s homes in New Hampshire and Massachusetts.

Last month, police in Kingston received reports of a loud explosion and tracked the incident to Torromeo quarry where people admitted to holding a gender reveal party, NBC10 Boston reported.

Around 80 pounds (36 kilograms) of Tannerite, an explosive sold over the counter for firearms practice, had been detonated, police said.

The family purportedly said they thought the quarry would be the safest place to blow up the explosive.

Authorities allege that Mr Spinelli "caused public alarm” with the antics, with nearby residents having reported rattling and even alleging property damage due to the nearby explosion.

“We heard this god-awful blast,” Sara Taglieri, who lives in a home near the quarry, previously told NBC10 Boston.

She added: “It knocked pictures off our walls … I’m all up for silliness and what not, but that was extreme.”

CBS Boston reported that officials found there had been no property damage caused by the incident.

It wasn’t immediately known if Mr Spinelli had legal representation to speak on his behalf.

While no one was injured this time around, the social media phenomenon has been known to have gone dangerously awry in the past, leading to deadly incidents and even wildfires.

As recently as February, an expectant father in New York died after an explosive prop being built for a gender reveal party accidentally detonated.

In September 2020, a “smoke-generating pyrotechnic device” intended for a gender reveal ignited a wildfire in Southern California, burning down acres of land.

Additional reporting by the Associated Press