LEOMINSTER — A passing airplane dumped a heavy load of icy human waste on a Leominster woman’s car Thursday night, minutes after she had parked it in her driveway.
Nina Gambone, 31, of 24 Albert Drive, had just arrived home from a trip to the store at around 7 p.m. when she heard what she later called “an explosion. The entire house shook.”
Gambone said she thought the impact had been caused by a bomb — until she saw an icy lump the size of a beach ball in her car.
“I’m not touching the poop ice,” said Gambone’s son, 13-year-old Nathan Rosenblad.
Leominster Police Lt. Raymond Booth spoke with Federal Aviation Administration officials, who confirmed the “bomb” was of the bathroom variety.
“They said they were 99 percent sure, without looking at it, that that’s what it was,” Booth said.
Gambone said her 1993 Toyota Corolla is probably totaled. The roof is bowed inward and the windshield is smashed.
“The car’s done. That thing’s not going anywhere,” Booth said, adding, “If (the ice) had hit somebody, it would have killed them.”
An FAA representative called Gambone and cautioned her not to touch the ice, which is most likely human waste.
“They said don’t touch it, it’s very likely waste. She said if you have come in contact with it, wash your hands,” said Michael Pinder, who lives at the house.
Gambone’s son Nathan had already picked up the ice, using his sweatshirt to shield his hands.
“I’ve got to clean my sweatshirt now,” he said after hearing the advice from the FAA.
The FAA told Booth the dense, white ice that struck Gambone’s car most likely fell from a European flight.
“If it’s from a domestic flight, the ice is blue,” Booth said.
Booth said the FAA will try to find out which plane dropped the ice by looking at the time of the incident, but added it could be hard to determine which aircraft is responsible. Leominster lies along a flight path towards Boston’s Logan Airport.
“They’re going to try and pinpoint which plane it is, but it’s going to be next to impossible,” Booth said.
Staff writer Kate Meyers contributed to this report.
