WATCH: Security camera footage captures ‘alien-like’ explosion near downtown, suspect arrested

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Security camera footage obtained by KRDO13 shows the moment a homemade explosive device went off near downtown Colorado Springs on Jan. 12, 2024.    

Colorado Springs police arrested 69-year-old Edward Kiley, who they suspect created the explosive device.    

The security cameras show what appears to be a balloon floating in the alley then exploding. The explosion startled nearby residents and blew out the windows of one business.    

The video shows that the balloon catches on the fence and explodes. Police say they got reports of the boom just after ten that night.    

Employees of nearby businesses say they were lucky they weren't working at the time because it was shocking to see the incident on camera.

"We were like, what is this random, like, floating device? Like it looked almost alien, like just kind of coming into frame from the side. We had no idea what it was and had no idea that it had even exploded. When we were first looking at it, we were like, oh, maybe this is just some random thing that's taking place, but no," remarked Taylor Preisser, an employee at a neighboring business.

This isn't the first run-in Kiley has had with law enforcement. In 2011, Kiley was arrested and charged with causing an explosion in his house. In 2018 --- he was accused of another explosion in the same home caused by an illegal hash oil lab.    

Following that incident in 2018, Kiley was sentenced to six years in prison.    

Police have not shared any potential motive for the explosion,  and though Kiley was arrested yesterday, he has since bonded out of jail.