Tragedy: NY Dad-To-Be Killed Making Gender Reveal ‘Explosive’

A tragic story out of southern New York, where a father-to-be was killed while making a device for his child's gender reveal party.

New York State Police say they were called to a home in Liberty, NY, in Sullivan County just before noon on Sunday for a reported explosion. Police say Christopher Pekny, 28, was creating what one trooper described as a 'party-popper-like' device for an upcoming celebration to unveil the gender of his child. At this time, it's still unclear exactly what went wrong, teh trooper said, but the device blew up killing Pekny, and injuring his younger brother, Michael Pekny, 27.

The younger Pekny was transport to a nearby hospital. The extent of his injuries is unclear.

The incident happened as the pair were working on, or testing the device. It did not occur during the actual gender reveal celebration, the trooper told WIBX.

The New York State Police Bomb Disposal Unit is handling the investigation, authorities said.

A report from Mid-Hudson News says the Pekny family is known locally as the owners of Robin Hood Diner in Livingston Manor, a hamlet in the town of Rockland, also in Sullivan County.

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