The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) wanted to get its hands on the Galaxy Note 7 that exploded last week on an airplane as fast as possible to investigate the incident.
The CPSC used a subpoena to seize the destroyed Galaxy Note 7 unit. Investigators then drove the remains of the device to Bethesda, Maryland to deliver it to the CPSC lab for extensive testing.
Brian Green, the owner of the phone, told The Verge that the CPSC confiscated the device the day after the fire, while it was still in the hands of the Louisville Fire Department.
The CPSC apologized for the seizure, and the agency said that it generally prefers to get permission before taking possession of a device. But investigators were not able to contact Green as fast as they would have liked, and "exigent circumstances" demanded drastic action.
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Having Galaxy Note 7 phones, or any other mobile devices, explode on planes isn't something the CPSC or anyone else wants.
The CPSC is yet to announce any results, but its chairman said on the day of the fire that the agency was "moving expeditiously to investigate this incident."
In addition to the airplane fire, at least six other Galaxy Note 7 explosions and fires were recorded last week. Ultimately Samsung had to discontinue the phone, two months after it unveiled it.