Mailbox explosion caught on camera raises safety concerns in Smithfield
by Garna Mejia ksl · KSL.comKEY TAKEAWAYS
- A mailbox explosion in Smithfield on Aug. 8 is raising safety concerns and a search for the culprits.
- Business owners report four similar incidents since Halloween 2024 costing over $2000.
- Surveillance shows individuals on e-bikes or scooters before the explosion, likely dropping something into the mailboxes.
SMITHFIELD, Cache County — A mailbox explosion caught on surveillance video has Smithfield business owners concerned about public safety as they report a pattern of similar incidents dating back nearly two years.
The latest explosion happened just after midnight on Aug. 8, near 600 South at the KeyLix business. Surveillance footage shows what appears to be a group of individuals arriving on e-bikes or scooters, then a mailbox suddenly exploding less than a minute later.
The blast scattered debris across the street and into a neighboring parking lot.
"It appears they've made some type of device and they're dropping it into the mailbox and they're blowing it up," said Cindy Archibald, who works at TrueLine across the street. "These are metal mailboxes and debris goes everywhere."
No injuries were reported in the latest incident, but Archibald said it is only a matter of time before someone gets hurt.
"Eventually somebody is going to get hurt, either it's going to be these kids or possibly a passerby or an employee of one of the businesses," Archibald said. "It's not going to go well. We're talking about explosives, high-powered explosives, and they can do a lot of damage."
According to business owners, the mailbox destroyed last week had been installed only about a month ago and cost roughly $500 to replace.
The explosion is not an isolated incident. Archibald said this is the fourth incident along the same stretch of 600 South since Halloween 2024. In one of the blasts, the suspects were seen arriving in a car.
The latest incident marks the second time the KeyLix mailbox has been targeted, and TrueLine's mailbox has also been destroyed twice. In total, the incidents have cost the companies more than $2000.
Archibald said the repeated incidents prompted them to invest in additional surveillance systems to identify those responsible and deter future attacks. No injuries have been reported in any of the incidents.
She said one of the biggest concerns is not only the potential for injuries but also the impact on businesses that rely on secure mail service.
The Smithfield Police Department did not respond to questions about the case. However, business owners suspect the individuals seen in the latest surveillance footage may be teenagers.
"What parent wouldn't want to protect their child?" Archibald said. "The question is, where are they getting these things to begin with, how are they processing them to make them so they can do what they're doing, and how can we prevent it?"
Archibald is hoping the community can help identify the vandals and contact law enforcement with any leads and information.
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The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.
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Garna Mejia
Garna Mejia is an anchor and reporter for KSL. Garna is happiest when she can be “out in the field” working on stories that matter to the community.