Bomb squad called after kids mimicking video game built fake bomb

MASONTOWN, Pa. — A fake bomb built by some children who were mimicking the popular "Call of Duty" war video game drew a bomb squad in Fayette County early Saturday morning, according to police.

Masontown police Chief Joseph Ryan said the incident began about 3 a.m. Saturday at Fort Mason Village, a complex run by the Fayette County Housing Authority some 50 miles south of Pittsburgh.

Authorities were called when Mary Strube found the device (pictured on the left) made from a soda bottle and two circuit boards, with wires running under the bottle's cap on the front stoop of a residence.

“I opened the door and looked down. Then I pulled the door closed,” Strube said. “It was very scary. I didn’t know if it was going to go off.”

Strube said her neighbor, Mike Williams, alerted her to the device.

“I thought it was a bomb,” Williams said. “It had all the makings of being a bomb.”

Officials told Channel 11’s Jennifer Tomazic that several neighbors in the area were forced to evacuate their homes while crews investigated.

‘I was a little upset I had to wake my kids up at 3 a.m., but it’s better to be safe than sorry. I’m glad it wasn’t anything serious,” Strube said.

The bomb squad from neighboring Allegheny County determined it was fake and police later found out some kids who were playing war games built it to mimic bombs used in the video game before leaving it outside by mistake.

Police said they have a few more interviews, but they don’t think charges will be filed.

WPXI