Gender-Reveal Party Turns Tragic After Prop Explodes, Blows Up Expectant Father and His Brother in NY

• Christopher Pekny, 28, of Liberty, New York, along with his brother Michael, 27, just joined the list of victims of gender-reveal parties
• The two were reportedly building a gender-reveal device for a party scheduled later that day
• Unfortunately, the device exploded, killing the father-to-be and injuring the right knee of his younger brother
• Authorities ruled out violence, but the incident remains under investigation, both by NY State police and the Bomb Disposal unit

A 28-year-old father-to-be residing at Lt. JG Brender Highway, Liberty, New York, becomes the latest casualty in what has become a horrific cultural phenomenon of gender-reveal parties after the device that he was building in his garage exploded in a “freak accident.” 

According to the authorities, Christopher “Chris” Pekny was rigging a small device that would emit a pink-or-blue burst, together with one of his brothers, 27-year-old Michael Pekny, to celebrate the upcoming birth of his firstborn. 

The supposedly happy occasion turned into a tragedy after Christopher ended up dead. His brother, Michael, also busted his right knee in “the freakiest of freak accidents that I could ever imagine,” says their other brother, Peter Pekny Jr.

He shared that it had been totally unexpected because both Christopher and Michael were quite handy. Christopher, because he is an avid outdoorsman, and Michael, whose masonry background gave him fair technical and electrical skills.

He said that Chris was just getting ready to settle down and was very happy about being a father to his unborn child like a “big kid, ready to be a man.” 

The accident left him in utter disbelief that he had spent two nights in a row “hoping to hear that this is all some crazy misunderstanding.”

Following the news of Christopher’s death, Peter, along with their family, friends, neighbors, and even their frequent customers at the family-owned Robin Hood diner in Livingston Manor, N.Y. gathered together with candles and flowers to give their respects “to the type of person that he [Chris] was.”

“They all want to be there for us the same way that Chris would be there in a moment’s notice for anyone else.”

A Facebook post was also made by the diner, announcing temporary closure because of Christopher’s death.

On the other hand, Michael, who also sustained injuries because of the accidental explosion, had a successful a knee-reconstruction surgery at Garnet Health Medical Center in Middletown. His doctors said he may be able to use both of his legs again, but Peter believes it would take more time for Michael “to piece back together his broken heart.”

As of writing, the New York state police have not revealed the cause of the explosion. The authorities only said in a press release that the incident remains under investigation by the New York State Police and the New York State Police Bomb Disposal Unit.