Teen injured after plastic bottle thrown from car explodes in her hands

VANCOUVER, Washington (KTRK) -- A 13-year-old girl is recovering in Washington after two men allegedly threw a makeshift bomb at her.

"I heard an explosion, like a bomb went off," neighbor Renee Noel told KOIN.

Neighbors described the horrific scene and explosion.

"Within a matter of seconds, I saw her pick up the bottle," neighbor Gloria Rubio said.

The girl, who was identified by her mother as Kristienna, was walking her dog along the sidewalk when someone threw a plastic bottle at her. She picked it up and it suddenly blew up in her hands, according to authorities.

"Once she picked up the bottle, she was getting her body straight when the bottle just exploded," Rubio said.

Noel and Rubio saw the entire incident from across the street and sprang into action.

"I ran in and grabbed the phone and dialed 911," Noel said.

The sidewalk where the girl was hit is still covered in blood.

"When the bottle exploded, it turned into like shrapnel. It went into her arm and her hands. They had to remove it. She had to have stitches into her left arm," said the girl's mother Ahli Fortner.

Kristennia was less than a block from her relatives' home when the men threw the bottle. Her mom says she's angry and wants answers.

"She picked it up to throw it away. She had seen there was a clear liquid with white smoke and it exploded in her hands," Fortner said.

Kristennia described the suspects as 16 to 19 years old with dark brown hair.