A 17-Year-Old Was Killed When A Package Exploded In His Austin Kitchen. Police Are Linking It To Another Deadly Explosion

Authorities in Austin, Texas, warned the community to be alert on Monday after two package explosions at residences within two weeks of each other appeared to be related.

A 17-year-old boy died after a package exploded in a kitchen early Monday, police said. A woman in her 40s was also injured in the explosion.

According to police, one of the two residents found the package that had been placed overnight on their front doorstep.

Police said the package was not delivered through the US Postal Service and suggested that it did not come through any other package delivery service.

Authorities said that the incident was similar to a package explosion on March 2 that killed a 39-year-old man in Austin. That explosion was first being investigated as a suspicious death, but has since been reclassified as a homicide investigation, police said.

Police on Monday said they were also responding to a second reported explosion. According to emergency personnel, one woman in her 70s was being transported to a hospital with "potentially life threatening injuries." Another woman in her 80s had an "unrelated medical issue." Police did not provide further details.

Austin Police Chief Brian Manley said the FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) were also looking at the first two incidents as being related based on the similarities.

"We have two cases that are very similar that have resulted in a loss of life," Manley said at press briefing on Monday. "It is appropriate for citizens to be concerned."

He also urged residents to be cautious and call police if they find an unexpected package delivered on their property.

Like the March 2 explosion, Manley said there was no immediate indication of terrorism, but added that police were looking to see if there was a "specific ideology behind these offenses," or if there was the possibility of a hate crime as victims in both cases were black.

In both incidents, the packages were left at night, with the residents finding the packages on their front doorstep the next morning.

Police said that the initial evidence and descriptions of the packages in both cases were similar, but did not provide specifics on the appearance of the package. Manley also said investigators have identified the explosive device used in both incidents, but did not provide further details.

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