UPDATE: Police release video of porch explosions

Posted By: Bayley Bischof Channel 8 Eyewitness News 

Police are asking for help identifying a man seen in surveillance video lighting artillery shells on two front porches. 

It happened twice in southeast Lincoln Sunday night. 

The suspect, who police believe is between 15 and 20 years old, rang the doorbell, lit an artillery shell and then ran away. 

The first happened at a home near 80th and South street at 10:00 p.m. The second, at a home near 75th and South at 11: 15 p.m.

One of the victims, who wanted to remain anonymous said the explosion shook her entire house, and it sounded like a bomb went off. 

"It was really scary," she said. "We didn’t know if we were being targeted or if it was just kids driving down our street pulling a prank."

She said, luckily, they thought it was in the street at first and didn’t go to the door until after checking their surveillance cameras. 

"I’m so thankful we didn’t check because somebody could have gotten severely hurt, fireworks are not a joke. God was watching over us, protecting us, there’s no rhyme or reason why we didn’t go to the door," she said. 

The other victims, had a closer call, police said. 

The home-owner opened the door right as the firework went off. 

"Had that man gotten to the door any later, he would have been right there when the fireworks went off, exposed to the explosion and smoke," Lincoln Police Officer Angela Sands said. 

Sands said he narrowly avoided injury. 

The victim wants the suspect to know, that even though nobody got hurt, she said this kind of prank isn’t funny.

"It is stunning that someone would go to that degree to have fun with their friends and scare people because it’s more than just scary, it could have killed somebody," she said. 

If you recognize the man in the video, let police know. One of the victims told police he saw an older red SUV leaving the area right after the explosion.

If you have any information about the suspect, you can call police at 441-6000 or Lincoln Crime Stoppers at 475-3600.

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Lincoln Police are investigating two cases of fireworks being lit on southeast Lincoln doorsteps. 

The first happened Sunday at 10:00 p.m., in a neighborhood near 84 and South St. police said a 43-year-old man heard a knock on his door and open the door to an artillery shell explosion. 

Police said he narrowly escaped injury. His home suffered $700 in damage. 

Then shortly after, in the same neighborhood, a woman reported she heard an explosion outside of her front door. 

She checked her security video and saw a man lighting an artillery shell before taking off. 

Her home had $400 in damage.

Lincoln Police are releasing video of the second explosion in hopes the community can help identify the man responsible.