Victor Iacobescu, 50, ran to a neighbor's house Thursday with a bloody towel wrapped around his right hand.

"Apparently, he was trying to set booby traps to get the next guy who tried to break in," fire Lt. Maggie Murphy said.

Iacobescu had been the victim of several break-ins, she said.

The neighbor, Patrick Struble, said the explosives were "like a pipe bomb. He accidentally triggered it, and it almost blew his hand off."

Police were investigating with the intent to pursue charges.

"Anything that goes `bang' is illegal," police Lt. Bruce Ferguson said. "I can't think of any (legal) reason why someone would be making a bomb."