Bomb Squad Called after Fla. Troopers Stop Pickup Truck Carrying Replica Missiles

Florida Highway Patrol troopers and other law enforcement officers were part of an unusual stop Sunday when they pulled over a truck that appeared to be hauling two missiles in the bed of his pickup truck.

Troopers intercepted the vehicle near Plant City after receiving multiple reports from other drivers about rockets jutting from the back of a truck, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. When troopers made the stop, they found two missiles mounted on a metal rack.

The driver, identified as Mike Nipper, told the troopers that his missiles were for events and had no explosives in them, WESH-TV reports. He said they were plastic, and he had built them from a kit he bought off a website.

Despite the driver's explanation, a bomb squad unit was still called in. An emergency perimeter was set up by Plant City police and the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office while the bomb squad investigated.

The missiles were determined to be made out of plastic and safe, according to the agency. The driver was sent on his way but not before he was given "a strong suggestion on how better to transport the articles," the agency added.