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12-Year-Old Arrested In 'Drano Bomb' Attack

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Jul 22, 2007 11:56 pm US/Eastern

12-Year-Old Arrested In 'Drano Bomb' Attack

Four Victims, Including 2 Infants, Taken To Area Hospitals

by Jay Dow
NEW YORK (CBS) ― Police have arrested the person they believe threw a homemade chemical device into a crowded park that injured several people on Saturday. What's more disturbing was an unidentified 12-year-old boy is accused of tossing the "Drano bomb."

The boy's name is not being released because of his age, but he's been charged with assault.

And the buzz in Junction Park indicated the boy may have learned how to make the presumably homemade device from easy-to-find, step-by-step videos posted on the Internet.

WCBSTV.com producers have identified at least 159 videos dedicated to either the construction or use of "Drano bombs" on YouTube. Another 190 related clips were found on Google.

Understandably, children, parents and entire families in the community are still on edge.

Toni Diaz said the chemical was so strong, it burned through the plastic bottle in which it was contained.

"It's still bothering me," Diaz said.

Diaz, who suffered a chemical burn in her left eye, was in the Jackson Heights park on Saturday when a so-called "Drano bomb" turned this fun zone into a crime scene.

"My niece got burned," Diaz said. "The baby got burned on her arm and her back. The baby."

Diaz was referring to her 6-month-old grandniece Amorae Rodriguez.

Amorae and her mother -- Diaz declined to give CBS 2 HD her name -- were treated for 1st and 2nd degree burns at an area hospital.

"I heard something go bsssh!" witness Jesus Matos said.

Police said another unidentified mother and her infant daughter were also sprayed by the chemical.

"The baby that was sitting here got burned all over the face," Diaz said.

Diaz said the bottle came straight at her. She suspects whoever threw it was already in the park, possibly in a nearby handball court. It landed a few feet away from where she was sitting on a bench.

"I pass by here every day, and it's really crowded," resident Eva Rivera said. "Full of kids having so much fun. How could they do something like that?"

Added Diaz: "Wow. What a mind. What a mentality."

The good news? All of the victims are expected to make a full recovery.

(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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