Father-to-be in New York dies after device meant for gender reveal party explodes

    (CNN) — A 28-year-old man died after a device meant to be used at a gender reveal party exploded, according to New York State Police.

Police responded to a report of an explosion just before noon on Sunday. Christopher Pekny, of Liberty, New York, was building the device that exploded. He was the father-to-be, according to police.

Pekny’s 27-year-old brother, Michael Pekny, was injured and taken to a nearby hospital, state police said.

Police did not give further information on what kind of device it was, except that it was not intended to harm others.

Earlier this month, a Michigan man died after a small cannon exploded at a baby shower, police said. While the cannon was not directly related to the baby’s gender, it was fired to “celebrate the baby’s pending arrival,” Michigan State Police said in a statement.

This most recent death follows in the line of other gender reveals gone bad, including a 2020 wildfire in Southern California and a plane crash in Texas.

After last year’s wildfire, the blogger Jenna Karvunidis — who is largely credited for creating the gender reveal party — took to Facebook to condemn the over-the-top events.

“Stop having these stupid parties. For the love of God, stop burning things down to tell everyone about your kid’s penis. No one cares but you,” she wrote.

The-CNN-Wire
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