A military projectile that was recovered from the Charles River in Massachusetts on March 1, 2024.Photo:Massachusetts State Police
Massachusetts State Police
For the second time in a week, a military projectile was recovered from the same Massachusetts river, thanks to magnet fishing enthusiasts.
TheNeedham Police Departmentsaid that individuals were magnet fishing from the Charles River late Wednesday morning when they picked what appeared to be explosive ordnance.
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“Needham Police and Needham Firefighters - Local 1706 responded to the scene and secured the area pending arrival of the Massachusetts State Police Bomb Squad,” the police department wrote on Facebook Wednesday. “They have since determined the ordnance will need to be detonated. It will be disposed of shortly in an unspecified area of town. You may hear it in town.”
In a statement shared with PEOPLE Thursday, the Massachusetts State Police added: “The object was determined to be an old (possibly WWII-era) heavily deteriorated bazooka round.”
A second military projectile was found in the Charles River on March 6, 2024.Massachusetts State Police
“Upon arriving on scene, Needham Police had the area secured with the object — approximately 12” long and 4” in diameter — sitting on the sidewalk (that area of Kendrick Street is a bridge over the Charles River),” said theMassachusetts State Police.
“The projectile was secured and transported to the disposal site, where the Bomb Squad members safely countercharged and disposed of it without incident,” Massachusetts State Police added.
Sean Martell, a magnet fishing enthusiast, discovered the first projectile on March 1. He told CNN when he pulled the object out, “it screamed mortar (round).”
Martell, who has a YouTube channel called Brockton Magnet Fisher with over 6,000 subscribers, recalled his reaction after pulling up the projectile to NBC affiliateWBTS. “As soon as I put it down…I was like, ‘I’m gonna have to call the police.’ ”
A deteriorated military projectile was found in Massachusetts' Charles River on March 1, 2024.Massachusetts State Police
“I’m speechless, I’m shaking, I’m nervous,” magnet fisherman Josh Parker, who pulled the latest ordnance out of the water Wednesday, toldWBZ"The cone-shaped head, the fins on the bottom, I can see some wires.”
Parker, who described himself as a history buff, toldWBTSthat finding the projectile was an “awesome” experience. “To find a bazooka round?" That’s every little boy’s dream is to be the bazooka guy when they’re playing army,” he said.
In an interview withCNNabout the second discovery of a military projectile, Massachusetts State Police spokesperson Dave Procopio appeared incredulous that this occurred again from the Charles River and was also linked to magnet fishing.
“The discovery of the round was the second time in a matter of days that a member of a magnet fishing group pulled an old piece of military ordnance from the Charles River under the Kendrick Street bridge,” Procopio said. “This begs: Why are these objects being found there all of a sudden?”
The spokesperson also told CNN that it is common for magnet fishermen to locate ordnances in bodies of water.
In its statement to PEOPLE, the Massachusetts State Police said “the exact manner in which these pieces ended up in the river is still under investigation.”
source: people.com
