A New Mexico resident says their internet outage may have been caused by an unexpected source — an arrow lodged in nearby telecommunications equipment.
A resident in New Mexico says their internet outage may have been caused by an unexpected source: an arrow lodged in nearby telecommunications equipment. The resident said the outage began shortly after a neighbor, who regularly practices archery in their backyard, apparently missed their target. The story quickly spread online because many people were stunned that a stray arrow might have been responsible for knocking out someone’s internet connection.
The story was shared on Reddit in the r/mildlyinfuriating subreddit, where it quickly gained traction. The post received more than 3,000 upvotes and over 200 comments as users reacted to both the unusual situation and the safety concerns surrounding it.
According to the resident, their internet stopped working the previous day. While walking their dog afterward, they discovered an arrow stuck near what appeared to be internet or phone line equipment in a nearby alleyway. The New Mexico resident shared a photo showing the arrow lodged near the telecommunications box, prompting many users to suspect it may have damaged the equipment.
The New Mexico resident explained that the neighbor frequently practices archery in their backyard and that stray arrows have previously landed outside the property, including in the dirt alleyway where the resident often walks their dog. Although they do not believe the incident was intentional, they suspect the neighbor accidentally missed the target while practicing.
The situation became even more frustrating when the New Mexico resident attempted to contact CenturyLink for repairs. According to the post, the company’s automated system repeatedly walked them through standard troubleshooting steps, leaving no easy way to explain that an arrow appeared to be lodged in the telecommunications equipment.
The resident also clarified that they still use DSL internet, which led some commenters to speculate that older infrastructure may have made the system more vulnerable to damage. They added that aging and poorly maintained infrastructure are already common in their area, making it difficult to know with certainty whether the arrow alone caused the outage.
Still, the New Mexico resident said the timing felt too coincidental to ignore. They noted that the internet stopped working around the same time the arrow was discovered in the utility box. The resident also said they planned to update the post if technicians later determine that another issue caused the outage instead.
New Mexico Arrow Incident Stuns Reddit Users
Reddit users who saw the post were shocked by the image of the arrow lodged near the equipment. Many commenters joked about the strange situation, while others focused more seriously on the dangers of practicing archery in residential areas. “Have you tried unplugging it and plugging it back in?” one user joked.
Others criticized the neighbor for allegedly failing to take proper safety precautions while practicing.“I practice with my bow in my backyard. Not having an appropriate backstop is just negligent,” one Redditor wrote. “Stray arrows happen, but if you can’t at least still hit your backstop, then you have no business firing a bow anywhere near civilization.”
Some commenters suggested the situation could raise broader safety concerns about practicing archery in residential areas.
