ATTLEBORO - A city teenager suffered eye injuries over the weekend after a chemical bomb he learned to make from the popular YouTube Web site exploded in his face, police said Monday.

Police would not release the name of the 17-year-old youth because they are still investigating the events, which occurred on Saturday.

Police Capt. David Proia said officers were called around 4 p.m. to Sturdy Memorial Hospital. A preliminary police report indicated that the injuries were not serious or life-threatening, Proia said.

He said the victim and a 17-year-old friend watched a YouTube video on how to make the device and were outside the Dexter Street home of the youth when the explosion occurred.

"They followed the directions and within 30 seconds a chemical reaction occurred," Proia said. The police captain cautioned youths against making any kind of explosives "regardless of what you see on the Internet" because it is dangerous.

An Internet search by The Sun Chronicle using key words related to bomb making revealed more than 3,000 videos on YouTube.

One video on the subject that was posted five months ago had 6,718 "views." A view is the number of times the video is played and not necessarily the number of viewers.

DAVID LINTON can be reached at 508-236-0428 or at dlinton@thesunchronicle.com.