"It just looked like plain soapy water. It was a Gatorade bottle that was half filled, and it had a little over a half inch of bubbles," Collier said.
The bottle was filled with a liquid household cleaner and aluminum foil.
Such a bottle bomb is usually left to blow up mailboxes as a prank. But this time it harmed an innocent boy.
"There's all kinds of names and unfortunately it's pretty prevelant on the internet and showing kids how to make them," said Chief Deputy Fire Marshal Alan Brown.
The material on the jacket Collier was wearing was melted all the way through. It's not hard to imagine what would have happened if his bare skin had been hit instead.
Tuesday, Collier received a handmade card from a neighborhood child, a comfort to his mother who home schools him.
The gratitude, and anger that this happened, prompted her to warn others about the dangers of bottle bombs.
"I don't want any other children to get hurt, or another mother to go through this," said Andra Houston.
Collier's eye was hurt, and he will still have to see a specialist. Fire investigators are looking for whoever left the bottle bomb behind, because felony charges will be filed.
Meanwhile, Collier has a message for whoever left the bomb.
"I would like to say 'People, please do not do this. It could have hurt me very bad. It could have hurt me seriously."
