An employee of a Hightstown apartment complex suffered a stomach injury Monday morning when the fuse of deactivated grenade exploded, borough police said.
The incident occurred at about 11:40 a.m. at the Deerfield-Westerlea Arms apartments. Borough police responded to a call at that time for report of a 39-year-old woman with severe stomach pain, the police department said in a statement.
Officers arrived to find the woman was injured by a grenade. They arranged for Robbinsville EMS to take her to a hospital, then shut down the area, evacuated some residents and called the fire department and the New Jersey State Police Bomb Unit.
The unit found the grenade was inert, but the fuse was left intact, which exploded when the pin was either removed or tampered with.
Police spokesman Lt. Benjamin Miller said he learned from the state police bomb unit that grenades are often deactivated and used as practice devices or sold as souvenirs and made inert by removing the explosive, by drilling a hole in the bottom.
The fuse is supposed to be deactivated too, but in a very small percentage, the fuse is left intact, and can explode. Miller said the grenade apparently belonged to a prior employee and was in the apartment complex for about 10 years. Employees came upon it Monday morning during cleaning, Miller said.
The victim suffered a non life-threatening injury and was undergoing treatment at Capital Health Regional Medical Center in Trenton.
The department said the incident is a reminder that such devices that seem inert or safe could still be dangerous and cause injury. If you come in contact with one, it’s best to call the police or fire department.
“Hightstown Police Department members are thankful that this incident was not more serious and wish the victim well in her recovery,” police said in the statement.
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Kevin Shea may be reached at kshea@njadvancemedia.com
