An IED in Oregon

Imagine strolling down the street of Salem when suddenly your calm evening is interrupted by the arrival of the bomb squad—no, not some dramatic action movie scene, but real life, Oregon style. The Marion County deputies, apparently with nothing better to do, decided to spice up their day by busting an improvised explosive device during what should have been a run‑of‑the‑mill traffic stop. Yes, you read that correctly—someone thought, “Hey, let’s put a bomb in a vehicle, stop for a chat with a cop, and see what happens.”

Enter the bomb squad, those brave folks in heavy suits who calmly (well, as calmly as someone wearing rental fireproof armor can) disarmed the thing. Meanwhile, you and I are left wondering what sort of existential crisis drives a person to turn a road trip into an explosive science project. The deputies didn’t just seize the device—they also confiscated around five grams of some unknown substance. Apparently, contraband is now being delivered with a side of “BOOM.”

Let’s be clear: no one woke up thinking, “I want a traffic stop that doubles as a fireworks demonstration.” But apparently, in Salem’s maritime-quiet streets, that’s what we get. Something about law enforcement calmly defusing a bomb makes you rethink your Yelp rating for morning rush hour—suddenly, delayed trains don’t seem so traumatic.