Construction Crew discovers hand grenade in Hudson
HUDSON NY (WRGB) - Police say construction workers were concerned when they discovered a strange object while working- that object turned out to be a Japanese hand grenade from WWII.
Just after noon on Wednesday, a construction company was working on a garage behind the 500 block of Clinton Street on “Lake Alley”.
Police say when workers were removing sections of ceiling, a small object fell from the rafters onto the ground. The crew recognized it as a hand grenade and immediately called Columbia County 911.
HPD officers were dispatched to the scene and identified the object as a World War II Japanese type 97 hand grenade with the safety pin still attached. The area was secured.
Trooper Brennan Keeler of the New York State Police Bomb Disposal Unit soon arrived to the scene and examined the device.
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Troopers x-rayed the grenade and determined that the explosive charge had been removed and the detonator had been previously ignited.
“The fact that the grenade had been hidden between the rafters of an old building, heightened our concerns that it might still be live," said Trooper Brennan Keeler. "In September we removed a 10 pound mortar round from an antique store on Warren Street. You can never assume these things are harmless souvenirs.”
They secured the grenade and will destroy it at their facility.
