Phone Explodes in Back Pocket While Shopping... Manufacturer Investigates Cause of Incident

A Phone Explodes in the Back Pocket of a Woman While Shopping
Fortunately, No Casualties Reported

A phone that was in the back pocket of a woman’s pants suddenly exploded in Brazil, and the moment was fully captured on camera. On the 13th (local time), Brazilian local media such as G1 reported that a phone exploded in the back pocket of a woman who was shopping. The incident occurred on the 8th at a store in Anapolis, Goi?s, in the central-west region of Brazil. Security camera footage from the store shows the woman standing still looking at a display shelf when sparks suddenly burst from the left back pocket of her pants, followed by an explosion. Startled by the sudden blast, the woman ran around the store and disappeared from the security camera’s view.

As the video capturing the explosion process was released through the media and social media, netizens expressed their anxiety about the phone explosion. X (X)

Fortunately, a man believed to be the woman’s husband took the phone out of her back pocket, preventing the situation from escalating into a major accident. In an interview with local media, the man said, "My wife said she felt heat coming from her back pocket just before the explosion," adding, "But before we could react to that, the phone exploded." The woman was taken to the hospital and was diagnosed with first- and second-degree burns on her hands, arms, back, and buttocks.

The phone model that exploded in the woman’s back pocket was a Motorola Moto E32. It is known to have been purchased about a year ago. In response to the explosion incident, Motorola issued an official statement saying, "We are contacting the consumer to investigate the specific circumstances of the accident," and "We plan to identify the cause of the incident through a technical analysis of the device." They added, "The company prioritizes customer safety above all else," and "All products are carefully designed and manufactured according to high-quality standards and undergo strict testing to provide consumers with safe and reliable products."

As the video showing the explosion was released through the media and social media, netizens expressed concerns about phone explosions. One netizen commented on the video posted on X (formerly Twitter), saying, "This can happen to anyone. It’s better to carry phones in a bag," "There were probably warning signs like the battery swelling," and "I’ve had a similar experience. A passenger on the subway told me smoke was coming from my crossbody bag."

Meanwhile, the main cause of phone battery explosions is known to be lithium-ion batteries. Lithium-ion batteries generate electricity through chemical reactions moving between the cathode and anode, but if the separator that prevents the cathode and anode from touching is damaged, overheating occurs, leading to thermal runaway and causing explosions. Because they store high-density energy, they can explode due to external shocks or overheating.