Molotov cocktails the latest scare at high school football games

Several parents were “shocked” when “homemade bombs” exploded near them and their vehicles following the game between Samoana High School (SHS) and Nu’uuli Vocational Technical High School, Friday night.

One furious mother told Samoa News that the bottle was thrown and it missed her husband’s head. However, they didn’t really pay any attention to it until it exploded when it landed on the ground. Siligi Nakiso-Va’apu described this homemade bomb as a ‘Molotov cocktail’, where a bottle is filled with a flammable liquid. The mother said she’s gravely concerned as to what the “kids” had created. The woman said, “Some kids threw it right next to me and my husband after the games. Thank God I don't have heart problems, but my ear is taking the toll of such stupidity.”

She further said, “It's things like these that ruins the bond between the schools. I'm so glad it didn't hit my husband’s head cause as soon as I looked back the thing came flying passed his head and exploded on the ground right next to me. He was standing up and I just sat down from stretching after the games.”

Nakiso-Va’apu said this could've been worse if the “homemade bomb” landed on her husband’s head. She pointed out that the empty bottle of water had what appeared to be acid wrapped in foil and it doesn’t give a loud explosion but it felt like those cherry bombs.

The woman said that what’s more frustrating was that they waved down the police who passed by however they only stared at her. “The cops passed by us and I tried to wave them down to report this but they kept going and twice I tried to wave them down, they just looked,” according to Nakiso-Va’apu.

She further noted her nephews, who saw what happened, ran after four young men, but the alleged culprits were nowhere to be found. The mother is concerned for the safety of her children attending the football games saying it’s not safe as she’s seen firsthand the homemade bomb that just missed her husband’s head. The mother posted her frustration on Facebook, and she’s not stopping there — saying she will contact the school, which the students or the culprits attend, so they will know what they are up to.

According to Nakiso-Va’apu, she will also reach out to Department of Education officials so they are aware of the extent of the actions taken by some students.

Another woman also reached out to Samoa News saying she experienced the same thing but this homemade bomb exploded on the bed of her pick-up truck.

Speaking to Samoa News on the condition of anonymity, the mother said with the work put into creating these homemade bombs —it is clear that some of the youth are out to get blood and the police should be at these games for the safety of the children.

She said the DOE and the Sports Complex should conduct a security check of all the bags that enter and exit the stadium to prevent such issues as this. “This is what we see in the movies and it’s happening here, and reality is, it’s scary.”

The woman said three young men were behind this, as they took off when the bottle exploded on her car. The woman said if these young men are high school students they need to be made aware of the consequences of their actions, as these homemade bombs can turn deadly but “I’m certain they don’t mean to kill anyone, they just want to show off and scare people.