LACKAWANNA COUNTY -- Scott Hall heard a pop Monday afternoon outside his home in Scott Township. Then, a second that sounded much closer.
"That one was loud, it caught me off guard, so I went and looked to see where it was, I don't know, it's kind of scary," Hall said.
What he saw was a plume of white smoke and a red glow on the side of his neighbor's house on Layton Road near Montdale.
"I came out and it was a pretty bright red flare which seemed abnormal. I didn't even think a flare or a firework at that point in time. But there was a bunch of white smoke drifting across the front yard. And at that point it was just trying to look out for our neighbor," he said.
His neighbor wasn't home so Hall called the fire department. Firefighters made sure the hole left behind wouldn't catch fire. Then, firefighters called the police.
A state police fire marshal did find a few remnants of whatever the projectile was inside the hole and those remnants have now gone for testing.
"Whether it be a signal flare from a flare gun, a firework, we're not sure yet," said Scott Township Patrolman Ed Frescoln.
Patrolman Frescoln told Newswatch 16 they also don't know what motivated the suspected shooter. Could it be criminal mischief or something more serious?
"If this was an arson attempt, we don't think it is at this point, we're thinking more along the lines of criminal mischief, but criminal mischief. It's very serious, somebody could have died," Frescoln added.
Since the mysterious object just missed a window by a few inches, police and Scott Hall think something worse was avoided.
"I don't know if it would have necessarily caught the house on fire but, I mean, you never know. So, at that point, I was just glad I was here," Hall added.
Scott Township Police told Newswatch 16 they're waiting to hear back from state police fire marshals who may provide a better idea of what exactly was shot at the house.
Anyone with information is asked to call Scott Township Police.
