3 Men Jailed After Jacobs Field Explosion
2 Injured When Firecracker Goes Off
UPDATED: 7:05 am EDT June 13,
2002
CLEVELAND -- There was a big blast at Jacobs Field Tuesday night, but it had nothing to do with a home run.
A large firecracker went off at the ballpark during the ninth inning last night in the Indians game against the Philadelphia Phillies. Two people were injured when the firecracker was thrown from an upper deck down to a lower-level smoking area behind the right-field stands on East 9th Street. Medics treated a Strongsville, Ohio, woman who was bleeding from both legs. She was taken to MetroHealth Medical Center, treated and released. A Jacobs Field worker who suffered burns to the chest was treated by medics at the stadium. Fans said the bang was so loud that it could be heard throughout the entire park. Apparently, three Elyria, Ohio, men had smuggled a firecracker through checkpoints in their pockets. According to police, they lit the device and threw it from the upper-level area onto people below. "Ever since 9/11, there has been a civic-responsibility attitude of our fans," Indians spokesman Bob DiBiasio said. "They're quick to open up bags. Unfortunately, there were three people who wanted to do something differently."The three men -- Andrew Mendez, 20; Donald Kreiger, 22; and Clifton Oliver, 20 -- are still in police custody. They have not yet been arrested.Firecrackers are illegal in Ohio, and the suspects face several charges, including weapons and assault.
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