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Rochester man speaks out after explosive device detonates outside home

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ROCHESTER, Minn. (FOX 47) -- A Rochester man is in shock, saying he avoided death following an explosion just yards away.

On Monday morning, someone left an explosive device in a southeast Rochester tree. It shattered windows in nearby homes when it went off.

A man who lives at the home where the tree stands, spoke with FOX 47 about the incident. The man did not want to be identified due to safety concerns.

"I was eating oatmeal, and I walked out the living room and a huge explosion went off outside. And all I seen [sic] was a bright orange flash, and a loud boom," he said.

He said people at least five miles away heard the explosion.

"It sent off one hell of a bang. And there was a lot of pressure behind that. If you would of [sic] noticed the house across the street up in the corner, the top window, that blew out because of the pressure from it. And that's 40 yards away, or 50 yards away," he said.

The windows weren't the only things damaged.

"In my car, it cracked my rear view mirror. It popped my quarter panel off my car." he said.

He says he was able to get a glimpse of the suspect before the person ran away.

A neighbor has video of the suspect leading up to the explosion.

"The surveillance my neighbor has shows the guy, the perpetrator, whatever you want to call him. He came by about four times, maybe five, maybe six at the most. He sat across the road from my house smoking a cigarette, scoping the place out. And then he casually walked up with his bike, in front of my car, and parked his bike. He then walked up with this device, about yea big, and he sat it by the tree, lit it, and then took off," he said.

The man said the blast burnt part of his face, and he's experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder from the explosion.

"I tell you what, that would of [sic] killed someone if it wouldn't of [sic] been a wall there. You know, you could feel the heat, the intensity, the pressure, everything."

He said moving forward is hard right now because he's still processing everything.

"It seems surreal. It doesn't even seem like it really even happened. As it goes on it starts to set in more and more. It brings a cold chill down my spine and I don't know what to do. I have never done anything in my entire life to have something like that come upon me," he said.

He hopes law enforcement finds the person responsible soon.

"[He] built a bomb and he's still in Rochester and that's the thing that scares me," he said.

If you have any information on the incident, you're asked to contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222- TIPS.

KaMaria Braye

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