Police responded to a report of an explosion just before noon on Sunday. Christopher Pekny, from Liberty, New York, built the device that exploded. According to the police, he was the expectant father.
Pekny’s 27-year-old brother, Michael Pekny, was injured and taken to a nearby hospital, state police said.
Police gave no 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 gun exploded at a baby shower, police said. While the gun was not directly related to the baby’s gender, it was fired to “celebrate the baby’s arrival,” Michigan State Police said in a statement.
This most recent death follows in the line of other gender revelations that have gone bad, including a 2020 wildfire in Southern California and a plane crash in Texas.
After last year’s wildfires, blogger Jenna Karvunidis – who is largely credited with setting up 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 to tell everyone about your kid’s penis. Nobody cares but you,” she wrote.