Big "Bomb" on Campus

Edison, New Jersey Construction crews preparing the foundation for a new building at Middlesex County College in Edison unearthed a 500-pound WWII bomb. The find was not surprising given the fact the campus is situated on the grounds of the old Raritan Arsenal.

Workers had been trained in the "Three R's": Retreat, Report, and await the Response, and they followed the procedure once the munition was encountered. The 87th Civil Engineer Squadron EOD responded and removed the device to a remote section of Fort Dix Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst. They used C-4 explosive to safely detonate the ordnance.

The construction crew was praised for handling the situation according to the protocol. EOD had to use slings and chains and the bucket of an excavator to pull the bomb out of the ground. It was carefully placed into the back of a military vehicle for transport to the base. Other small arms casings and debris have been found at the site previously, but never a munition of this magnitude.