A New Hampshire man used 80 lbs of explosives in a gender-reveal party that was so loud, people thought there was an earthquake

Bill Bostock
Updated ·2 min read
Gender reveal cake. File photo.
A stock image of a gender-reveal cake. Getty/Jeneil S

  • Police in New Hampshire were called Tuesday evening over reports of a loud explosion.

  • Kingston Police told NBC Boston that 80lbs of Tannerite had been detonated at a gender-reveal party.

  • Those living close by said the blast knocked pictures off walls and cracked building foundations.

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A New Hampshire gender-reveal party in which 80 lbs of explosives were detonated was so loud it made locals suspect an earthquake, reports say.

At around 7 p.m. local time Tuesday evening, people living near the Torromeo quarry, near Haverhill, called 911 after hearing a loud explosion, The Associated Press and NBC Boston reported.

Officers at the scene found that a group of people had detonated a large stock of Tannerite as part of a gender-reveal party, according to the AP.

The family said they thought a quarry was the safest place to pull the stunt, the AP said. The person who purchased and detonated the explosives, whose identity is not known, has since turned himself to the police, the AP reported.

The police added that the child was a boy.

"It was earth-shaking," one person who lives on Dorre Road, the same street as the quarry, told NBC Boston.

"It knocked pictures off our walls," Sara Taglieri, a woman who also lives near the quarry, told the outlet.

Her husband Matt also said the explosions "cracked foundations of" their neighbors' homes, adding: "I don't know how that's right."

quarry in New Hampshire where explosion gender reveal
The quarry in New Hampshire where the explosion happened on April 20, 2021. Google Maps

Kingston Police chief Donald Briggs confirmed to NBC Boston that the explosion was caused by a gender-reveal party and said that investigators are examining any property damage.

"Obviously, depending on the amount they were using, it could be extremely dangerous," Briggs said of the explosives, according to the New Hampshire Union Leader.

Gender-reveal parties have become increasingly common in the past decade, with people often going to extreme lengths to mark the occasion.

Several deaths have been linked to explosions at such parties and, last September, one explosion triggered a wildfire that destroyed 10,000-acres of land in El Dorado, California.

In September, Jenna Karvunidis, the woman credited with popularizing the gender-reveal party, said it was time to end the trend.

"For the love of God, stop burning things down to tell everyone about your kid's penis. No one cares but you," she said.

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