Man fined for using 36 kilograms of explosives for gender reveal

Anthony Spinelli was convicted and fined $620. Photo / AP

A man has pleaded guilty to a disorderly conduct charge stemming from an explosive gender reveal party that was heard by nearby residents in New Hampshire and Massachusetts.

As part of a plea deal reached Tuesday (local time), Anthony Spinelli, of Kingston, was convicted and fined US$620 (NZ$900), of which $500 will be suspended for 12 months as long as he stays out of trouble, according to court records.

Police in Kingston, a town not far from the Massachusetts state line, received reports in April of a loud explosion. They responded to a quarry, where people acknowledged holding a gender reveal party with explosives.

The explosive was 36kg of Tannerite, police said. The family thought the quarry would be the safest spot to detonate the explosive, which is typically sold over the counter as a target for firearms practice, police said.

Some nearby residents reported their homes were shaken by the explosion. No injuries were reported, police said.

"Based on the facts, at the conclusion of the investigation, we feel that the charge and the disposition were appropriate," Kingston police said in a statement. "We are very thankful no one was injured during the gender reveal incident and sympathetic to the fact it startled the community."

It wasn't immediately known if Spinelli had a lawyer to speak for him. A message sent to him on social media seeking comment was not immediately returned.

-AP