New Bedford, Massachusetts Fishermen on a scallop boat brought a suspected UXO onto shore in New Bedford, prompting a response from the state bomb squad and a Navy EOD specialist who determined that the device was an inert 57 mm armor piercing projectile. In a statement Massachusetts State Police announced that the "projectile has been secured." It was turned over to the military for proper disposal.
Cottonwood Heights, Utah EOD were called to remove a WWII mortar from a home in Cottonwood Heights. A tweet from 151st Air Refueling Wing of the Utah Air National Guard announced, "Members of the 151st Civil Engineer Squadron's EOD team assisted Cottonwood Heights Police Department to safely remove a type 89 World War II mortar from a residential house."
There is no information about how the mortar ended up in the house. The munition was taken to Camp Williams for safe disposal.
Manila, Philippines A hand grenade was found inside a pushcart outside of the office of the Philippine Star (an English-language print and digital newspaper in the Philippines). The cart owner discovered the munition and reported the find to authorities.
Manila Police District bomb disposal responded and safely detonated the hand grenade without incident. The grenade was reportedly missing its control pin, so it had to be disposed of in place.
Police have not reported any leads as to why the item was there, but suspect that it could be related to an earlier arrest in the area, in which a man was reported to be abusing his live-in partner. According to the report, the man was found to have possessed a grenade.
Underwood, North Dakota A civilian called the police after finding an ordnance item which cleaning his father's house. The man told police he was unsure whether it was live but he decided to move the item to his car.
Garden Valley, Idaho EOD from Mountain Air Force Base, in coordination with the Boise County Sheriff's Office, detonated a live grenade that was found in Garden Valley. According to a Facebook post by the Sheriff's Office, someone reported the potentially explosive device found inside a home.
The Garden Valley Fire Department also assisted as EOD safely detonated the grenade in a remote field. No word on how the grenade ended up in the home.
Danville, Indiana Danville Metropolitan Police Department (DMPD) dispatched officers to Lawson & Co. Auction House after staff there reporting a hand grenade among items picked up from a residence in preparation for an upcoming auction.
Auction house staff told police the grenade appeared to them to be "live" as they noted the pin still intact.
DMPD instructed the callers to back away from the item as they dispatched officers. Police requested assistance from the Indianapolis Metropolitan Bomb Squad who also responded to the scene. The bomb squad determined that the grenade was likely still "live" and took possession of the device.
Southampton, England Hampshire Police arrested a 51-year-old man who placed a live WWII incendiary bomb for sale on eBay. The German munition was listed for just over $20 US dollars on the online marketplace with a claim that it was a "genuine authentic" device dropped in the Southampton Blitz. The seller even promised to send the munition to potential buyers through Royal Mail.
Officers hunted down the bomb after a WWII era collector spotted the item for sale and immediately reported it to the police. One person had already made a bid for the cigar-shaped UXO which was pictured laid out on a table.
The collector reportedly notified the seller that the munition was live, but the seller did not remove the listing. The collector believes that the seller found the munition in a Southampton river, and said that if it had been left to dry out any more it could have detonated.
Toano, Virginia Phillip Murdock's recent metal detector find prompted more than just curiosity, it was cause for a response from U.S. Navy EOD and the James City County Fire Police Departments. Murdock has come across many different finds is his day, but this one has been the most dangerous to date, a live Korean War-era hand grenade.
Upon discovering the munition, which was missing the pin, Murdock picked it up with his shovel and transported it away from nearby homes and the main road. Once he realized the weight of the item, he realized it may not be a toy and called the fire department.
Durham, North Carolina Durham police and bomb squad responded to a home after the homeowner found a mortar round stamped 1942 while doing renovations. Dr. Ralph Haynes said he found the WW-II mortar round in his crawl space, behind a cement post. He moved it to his garage before calling police.
Officials from the Durham County Sheriff's Office's Bomb Squad evacuated the immediate area and safely removed the round. Haynes said he has no idea how the mortar ended up under his house.
El Centro, California The El Centro Police Department (ECPD) conducting an investigation into a stolen car questioned two men at a hotel where the car was parked. The conversation led to a search of the hotel room where a mortar round was found along with the stolen car's keys, stolen checks, and methamphetamine. They also found a modified shotgun and ammunition inside the car.
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