Magnet fisherman pulls 30-pound explosive device from Passaic River
NUTLEY, N.J. -- A New Jersey fisherman made an explosive discovery over the weekend.
CBS2's Christina Fan has more on what he found that made him call the bomb squad.
Kevin O. is a recreational magnet fisherman.
A growing pile of scrap metal and his Instagram page are filled with interesting finds, from an ATM machine to an assortment of knives.
But his catch this past Saturday in the Passaic River was the most explosive of all.
"My friend, Patrick, saw it and says, 'That looks like a bomb,' and that's when we realized what we could have, possibly," Kevin said Monday.
The two avid fishermen were on the Lyndhurst Bridge in Nutley when they hauled in the 30-pound object. They weren't sure exactly what it was, but figured it was wise to call 911.
"It was a little nerve-wracking at one point when the police officer told us that it was a 4-inch shell with a 90-foot blast radius and we were a little bit too close for comfort," Kevin said.
Not only did the bomb squad have to respond, but police shut down the surrounding intersection as a precaution.
Officers believe the shell was live and eventually took it to a safe location to detonate.
"It really hits you in the head and say, wow, what did I just pull out of there? And what could have happened at any given time when I was carrying it," Kevin said.
He said he started magnet fishing three years ago, finding it a great way to help clean the environment while also learning a bit of history.
An excerpt from the Nutley Historical Society he shared suggests the shell could have come from Camp Nutley during the Cold War.
"The article states that they had artillery guns in this area in case the Soviet Union were to attack the George Washington Bridge," Kevin said.
A discarded story rediscovered behind every piece.
