Off Beat
“You’re better off calling and reporting something than ignoring it and having it be something worse.”
A municipal employee blows leaves with a leaf blower in Paris on Feb. 6, 2026. Joel Saget / AFP via Getty Images, File
June 2, 2026 | 12:47 PM
1 minute to read
Bridgewater police responded to a report of a camouflaged, bazooka-wielding man last week and instead found a landscaper carrying a leaf blower, according to officials.
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The call came in around 10:40 a.m. on May 23, directing police to the area of South and Pleasant streets, the Bridgewater Police Department explained in a statement posted to X. Yet despite the prominent location on a busy road, Lt. Scott Hile said the department received only one call about the supposed bazooka.
“When you get one call on it and they’re out on a main road, it is something to take into account,” Hile acknowledged. Still, he noted that police are trained to treat suspicious sightings — even the more dubious ones — as if they could be legitimate.
“You never know,” he added.
The department ended up sending an officer over to investigate, and a brief conversation with the landscaper helped clear up the confusion, according to Hile. It remains unclear how the original caller mistook a leaf blower for a handheld rocket launcher.
“Everyone’s perception can be different,” Hile said. He encouraged anyone who thinks they’ve witnessed unusual activity to get in touch with police, even if they might have been mistaken.
“You’re better off calling and reporting something than ignoring it and having it be something worse,” he said.
05/23/2026 10:40AM Caller from South/Pleasant Street reports male party wearing camo clothing and possibly carrying a bazooka in the area. Officer reports male is landscaper with leaf blower.
— Bridgewater Police (Massachusetts) (@BwtrPolice) June 1, 2026
Abby Patkin is a general assignment news reporter whose work touches on public transit, crime, health, and everything in between.
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