No 'nuclear reactor' or hazards found at Columbus home after scare
A 911 call Thursday led to a precautionary evacuation of an entire street in a Northwest Side neighborhood in Columbus over concerns about a possible small nuclear reactor and alpha waves reported by a resident who said he sustained burns in his garage on the device.
In the end, authorities found no hazard. The man will undergo a mental-health examination and may face charges of inducing a panic.
The man, who is in his late 20s or early 30s and who resides on the 6300 block of Chippenhook Court, called 911 about 6:15 p.m. and reported he had been sustained burns from a device he was working on in his garage.
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The man told bomb squad, arson fire investigators and medics on scene that he sustained “radio frequency burns” while working on a “quantum physics generator” in his garage, Martin said.
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A nuclear specialist brought to the scene found in the garage what was identified as a homemade capacitor, Martin said. A capacitor is a device that consists of two or more separate conducting plates and is used to store an electric charge, not unlike a battery.
https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2019/12/05/emergency-crews-investigating-report-possible-small-nuclear-reactor-ohio-garage/2625141001/