Albuquerque neighborhood demands answers after explosion
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – It was the night after Christmas, and all through Albuquerque’s Snow Heights Neighborhood. But, their quiet night at home was spoiled in a second.
“We hear ‘boom, boom,’ and our entire house shook. The roof shook, the ground shook, everything shook. Are my kids going to be okay? Are we going to be okay? Did that house explode? Like, what happened?”
Her husband went searching for the source.
“He came driving up Wyoming, and he saw the smoke coming out of the drain grates.”
He posted proof in their neighborhood Facebook group.
Albuquerque Fire Rescue responded and found two shopping carts, paint cans, and a small propane bottle.
Neighbors told firefighters they saw one man running away. Burn marks are still on the tunnel under Wyoming Boulevard.
“We have a lot of crime in this neighborhood. Unfortunately, being the ditch, we’re right next to the freeway. You know, Presbyterian, their psych ward is right here, so we get a lot of very sketchy people kind of walking through the neighborhood.”
The explosion happened in the same place where a biker told KOB 4 two men attacked him and stole his e-bike and house keys last spring. He thought they used a backpack with a brick inside to knock him down.
“They just continued to pummel me over the head, punch me, kick me, whatever they could do until I stayed down when they could get away,” said Jon Beaty in May 2024.
That attack sparked an online petition for more bike patrols in the area. Then, a response from Albuquerque police.
“We want everyone to be safe and to be able to enjoy the trail and the park as it’s intended for,” said Commander Luke Languit, of the Field Services Bureau at APD.
Languit said that in July as he announced new proactive efforts from his officers, and said it again this week.
“We want everyone to be able to be safe and to enjoy the park and the trail,” said Languit.
APD says data shows there were 44 proactive patrols initiated by officers near the Embudo Arroyo in the last two months.
Languit says there were two emergency calls for service in that time frame. That doesn’t include 311 calls.
“That’s various times throughout the day, between the different shifts. And you’ll have multiple officers when they can, they know to go over there and make sure that there’s no crime and to see that the quality of life is good over there,” Languit said.
Some neighbors say they haven’t noticed.
“I have not seen one officer driving down here. And quite honestly, if we call the police, it takes them a long time to even show up or be here. So it’s not worth it.”
Languit says he’ll be working more patrols into his 2025 plan, no matter who’s watching.
“We would feel more safe. Our kids would feel more safe, and it would just make things better for everybody,” said Languit.
APD says the department opened its recent bike certification class to public service aids for the first time and certified four of them.
Leaders hope to certify more and get them on trails by later this year.
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