ISU Police, together with the Ames Fire Department and Iowa State’s Environmental Health and Safety team, successfully disposed of a potentially hazardous bottle outside of Frederiksen Court on Thursday afternoon.

At 2:03 p.m., ISU Police were notified by a Department of Residence staff member about a suspicious bottle that was sitting near a window at the student apartment complex, said Jerry Stewart, director of the Department of Public Safety.

Police advised the staff member to leave the bottle alone until officers could finish their investigation.

When officers arrived, they found that the bottle appeared to be under pressure.

“From there, we simply moved methodically,” Stewart said.

“We contacted one of our officers who had training in dealing with hazardous materials. He used a pellet rifle to relieve the pressure.”

The device, a Gatorade bottle was bulging with pressure when police arrived to investigate, Stewart said.

Preliminary tests done after the disposal of what Stewart called a “MacGyver bomb” showed that it had been filled with a caustic agent that had caused the excess pressure.

Stewart said he was unsure if the bottle was intended to explode, but he said the device’s design was similar to explosives seen around the country.

After police had cordoned off the south side of Building 33 in Frederiksen Court and evacuated the two apartments closest to the device, a team of two men in yellow plastic body suits approached the bottle with a newly purchased pellet gun and a riot shield. As environmental safety team member Roy Bingham held a protective shield, ISU Police officer Nick Grossman fired twice on the object, puncturing it on the second try and releasing the pressure.

In front of a growing crowd, Bingham and Grossman first prodded the bottle with a scoop shovel, then placed it in a large bucket and transported it back to the environmental safety truck for testing.

Stewart said the police used standard procedure in dealing with the device. He also commended staff members on their handling of the situation.

ISU Police also found another bottle in a nearby trash can that showed traces of a caustic substance.

Amber Knapp, sophomore in elementary education, and Tiffany Bendixen, sophomore in early childhood education, who live in the apartment nearest the device, said they’d been unaware of anything happening outside until they looked out the window and saw DPS and fire officials in the area. They were asked to vacate until the device was dealt with.

“I’m a little nervous,” Bendixen said about the bomb’s proximity to her home. “A little bit scared, but I don’t know what’s in it.”

Also on hand for the disposal were several members of ISU administration, including Thomas Hill, vice president for student affairs.

“We don’t respond to all situations like this,” he said, “but when there’s students involved, and it’s in the residence system, it’s necessary to be involved.

“It makes you feel pretty good about the cautious measures they’re taking,” he said. “DPS has done a good job, and they’re well-trained.”