Frag From Artillery Testing Crashes Through Nearby Home

Rockaway Township, New Jersey Fragmentation from an artillery shell crashed through the roof of a residential house located approximately .5 miles from Picatinny Arsenal. The 2-pound chunk of metal landed in the bed of a 10-year old girl. Fortunately, the girl was not home at the time of the incident. The girl's mother, who was home when the accident occurred, reportedly heard a load crash in the house. When she investigated, she was surprised to find the piece of molten metal smoldering in her daughter's bed.

The woman contacted the police who responded to the incident. Police contacted the installation who dispatched an EOD unit to investigate. Initial reports concluded that the frag came from a military mortar shell. Although no one in the family was injured during the accident, the 14-year old family cat reportedly was seriously injured and had to be euthanized.

The Commanding General of the base, General Phillips made a visit to the residential house to personally apologize to the family. He also released a statement that said a team from the base will investigate what caused the mishap. Pending the results of that investigation, the Army has suspended all outdoor weapons testing at Picatinny Arsenal.

Picatinny Arsenal is home to the Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center, whose mission is to conduct research, development and engineering for weapons systems.