SHREWSBURY, Mo. – A peaceful night at Brinkop Park took a dangerous turn when an explosive was placed into a library box.

Neighbors say the explosion happened around 9 p.m. Wednesday.

One neighbor told us off camera the explosion was louder than any fireworks they’d ever heard.

“We heard a loud explosion down at our house. It sounded bigger than just a trash can or something like that…came outside, down to the park, checked to make sure nothing was on fire; nothing was going on. Then we saw our little library was blown open by fireworks or some kind of explosive,” neighbor Adam Hecker said. 

The library box has been at the park since Hecker moved nearby in 2010. The library box is a community staple where people can donate or take books to read.

Investigators now believe a group of four suspects placed a possible firework inside before it exploded.

While police think the box might belong to the Eagle Scouts, they could not confirm it. The Greater St. Louis Area Council Scouting mentioned this could’ve been part of an Eagle Scout project—an important requirement for those aspiring to become eagle scouts.  

“The potential Eagles Scout will do the project and then they turn everything in. They show pictures of it completed and provide that that scout has all the other requirements. Then they are awarded the rank of Eagle through the National Cord of Honor,” the Greater St. Louis Area of Scouting’s Director of Marketing David Chambliss said.

Fortunately, no one was hurt, but the community box suffered damage and the books were burned. By Thursday morning, the box had already been repaired and repainted. Neighbors came out to put books back in the box, determined to keep this symbol of the community alive.

“I don’t think kids like this should be punished; I think they should be educated on how does this affect the community,”  Hecker said. 

Shrewsbury Police are asking anyone with information or more video of the incident to come forward as they continue their investigation.