The mystery of the partly-broken window

April 7, 2010 3:59 PM

I came home tonight to find a piece of glass missing from my window, but it wasn't a break-in. Help me figure out the cause.

I live in a ground-floor flat facing onto a busy residential street, fairly safe neighbourhood, and came home at about 11pm to find my window has a tiny hole in it (about 1.2m off the ground) and a chunk of glass missing behind that.

The glass turned up about 1.5m back from the window, and it's like a flattish hemisphere, about the size of my thumbnail in diameter. I can see a very small line of refraction outside the window but no real cracking, no sign of the surface being damaged beyond.

There's no sign of a break-in, nothing outside the window I can see, and there were no crazy fluctuations in temperature or, I don't know, nail storms today - I've been out since early morning, though.. I will have to notify my landlord but I'd love to have some clue of what happened first.

Photos of the piece of glass: 1, 2, 3.

Please help, mystery solvers!

posted by carbide to grab bag (13 answers total)

Bee bee gun or rock.
posted by R. Mutt at 4:01 PM on April 7, 2010

BB shot.
posted by telstar at 4:01 PM on April 7, 2010

Definitely a BB shot, assuming you found the piece of glass inside.
posted by 517 at 4:16 PM on April 7, 2010

Either somebody's car tossed a rock at your window or some dumb kids shot at your place with a BB gun.
posted by TooFewShoes at 4:27 PM on April 7, 2010 [1 favorite]

...or this.
posted by bonobothegreat at 4:32 PM on April 7, 2010

pew
posted by rigby51 at 4:32 PM on April 7, 2010

I doubt it'd be a BB shot- you say your street is fairly busy. and I doubt the kids would be dumb enough to shoot around there, lest they get caught. I'm guessing it was a rock shot out from a car or street cleaner, or even a lawn mower.
posted by shesaysgo at 4:35 PM on April 7, 2010

Having just replaced a window shattered by a rock thrown by a lawn mower, I will say you will be surprised at how powerful and laser-beam efficient a rock tossed by machinery can be.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 5:01 PM on April 7, 2010 [1 favorite]

NO! the glass is defective! Just like those oil cans in that movie "The Jerk"!

Rock or pebble IRL. sorry for the Jerk reference, couldn't resist.
posted by Max Power at 5:02 PM on April 7, 2010

Sure looks like a BB.

shesaysgo writes "I doubt it'd be a BB shot- you say your street is fairly busy. and I doubt the kids would be dumb enough to shoot around there, lest they get caught."

Even a cheap spring action BB gun is easily dangerous out to a couple hundred metres; the kids could be several streets away as long as they've got line of sight.
posted by Mitheral at 6:58 PM on April 7, 2010

That sounds like a pellet gun or similar. I grew up around them, as did the husband, and we both agree that is what it looks like caused it.

Again, yes, they are dangerous at quite a distance. They wouldn't have needed to be near by, just in line of sight. It may have gone over a target in someone's back yard, and crossed the block across from you via a driveway.
posted by strixus at 7:02 PM on April 7, 2010

Thanks, everyone. It's a much cleaner cut than rigby51's image, but I realise there's also a bit of loose gravel on the roads after bad winter weather and the houses have no driveways, so pellet or tiny stone sounds likely. At least it's unlikely to be my fault!
posted by carbide at 4:39 AM on April 8, 2010

Also, do not underestimate the stupidity of young boys.
posted by craven_morhead at 8:28 AM on April 8, 2010 [2 favorites]