Lewis
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HANOVER TWP. — Like many of us, Hanover Township Police Chief David Lewis heard the blast which startled residents across the Wyoming Valley on Thanksgiving Day morning.
“It was loud,” Lewis said. “I received over 100 calls. People from all over the valley were calling about it.”
According to social media posts and reports in other media, as well as in the personal experiences of several Times Leader staffers, the boom around 11:30 a.m. shook houses and caused many people to run outside looking for the cause, from as far around as Ashley, Plymouth, Wilkes-Barre — including Kirby Park — and Pringle.
Many were surprised when they could see no obvious signs of damage.
Many more were surprised when they learned what police believe was the apparent cause: hunters sighting-in their rifles with explosive Tannerite targets.
Pennsylvania’s regular firearm season to hunt both bucks and does kicks off Saturday.
When Township Manager Sam Guesto explained this to the Times Leader and other media early Thursday afternoon, comment boards lit up with incredulous readers.
“I find that hard to believe,” Facebook user Amy Susan Moss commented on the newspaper’s story. “We live in Hanover Township and it sounded and felt like the core of the Earth exploded right underneath us!”
Moss was not alone. Many questioned the explanation, and speculation ran from a sonic boom to an underground mine collapse.
Guesto referred further questions to Lewis, who was aware of the social media posts and sought to dispel the rumors, stressing that police have investigated and ruled out other possibilities.
“I’m pretty confident that is what it is,” Lewis said.
The main question, he said, is where the incident took place — and, of course, who was responsible.
Police have narrowed the location down to an isolated area in the township’s Preston Section, above the soccer fields. The spot is near the Hanover Township/Sugar Notch border, which could have an impact on the potential legal outcome of the investigation.
As Lewis explained, the use of Tannerite is not illegal in Pennsylvania, and there are no specific prohibitions on its use in the township.
But Hanover Township does have an ordinance prohibiting discharge of firearms within its boundaries by anyone other than law enforcement, Lewis noted, adding that does not apply to lawful hunting. If the incident took place in the township, those responsible would face a citation.
He was not immediately sure Thursday evening what Sugar Notch’s ordinances say, adding that the issue would be examined more today, when officials are hoping to pinpoint where the incident took place, including whether it was in Hanover or Sugar Notch.
While acknowledging that it was startling to many people, Lewis didn’t find it surprising that the blast was heard and felt around the valley, given that it originated high up on a hillside.
“With the acoustics of the valley, of course it would be heard for miles around,” he said.
In a subtle response to commenters on the Times Leader Facebook page, meanwhile, the Wilkes-Barre Township Police Department posted a YouTube video link from an Arizona ABC station about investigation into exploding target abusers in that state.