MILWAUKEE — Neighbors are in shock after an explosion Friday night prompted a police response at an apartment building on Milwaukee’s East Side.
Residents who live at the Shorecrest Apartments on Prospect Avenue told TMJ4 someone lit a gas canister on fire in the apartment entrance Friday, Oct. 18.
“I heard a loud explosion around 6. I came down and it was quarantined by police. The whole vestibule was filled with smoke,” Alex Grupp, a resident of five years, recalled.
Another resident, Axel Johnson, recalled the moment of the explosion while doing the dishes.
"It sounded like a direct thunderstorm right over the building," Johnson said.
Neighbors shared a message sent to residents with TMJ4:
The email from the property manager said that around 6 p.m. Friday, a masked man entered the vestibule off Prospect Avenue and lit a gas canister on fire.
Grupp said the door to the vestibule is unlocked, but the door to get into the actual apartment requires a key.
On Saturday, caution tape lined the vestibule windows, which were cracked and foggy.
The building provided photos of the person they say is responsible — a person in a football uniform and mask holding the gas canister.
“The pictures creeped me out, the scariest part was the outfit. I didn't go back to sleep,” Johnson, explained,
The apartment building told neighbors in the email that no one was hurt.
“If it was random or purposeful, it’s scary. I want to make sure it doesn’t happen again,” Grupp said.
The Milwaukee Police Department (MPD) and Milwaukee Fire Department (MFD) said this is an ongoing investigation that will determine whether or not the incident was attempted arson.
The owners of Shorecrest did not immediately respond to TMJ4 news for a comment about what happened.
After Friday’s incident, though, residents and neighbors on the East Side are asking others to keep an eye out.
“I just want to make sure people stay safe. I have a lot of friends who live nearby. You just don’t know the motivation,” Johnson said.
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