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Editor's Note (12:43 p.m., July 23)—Police officials informed Patch that contrary to earlier reports, no bottle bombs were found inside mailboxes, only near mailboxes. There is no indication that mailboxes are being targeted.

Police are investigating a possible connection between two bottle bombs found in Perry Hall late Saturday.

A resident reported hearing shots fired near the intersection of Burnam Woods Court and Burbage Court in Perry Hall at about 11 a.m. July 16.

Police found remnants of a green two-liter soda bottle with multiple layers of aluminium foil surrounding it and an unknown liquid. The bomb squad responded and discovered that the homemade explosive had been left near a mailbox. No one was injured, police said.

Minutes later, less than two miles away, police responded to a report of another soda bottle explosive left near the intersection of Vicky Road and Moonstone Road.

Filled with household cleaner, the bottle was resting near the side of the road. A hazardous device squad responded to the scene. No one was injured, police said, although residents reported hearing it explode.

Capt. Michael Balog of the White Marsh police precinct said homemade explosives are often left in random places by teenagers.

"It's very common. They pull up directions on the Internet and create aluminum foil soda bottle bombs," Balog said. 

"Most of the time, they're just messing around. They think it's fun," he said. "But it's very powerful and definitely dangerous."