Pipe Bomb Leads To Evacuation In Meriden: Police

MERIDEN, CT — A pipe bomb that was found in the river near Red Bridge led to an evacuation in the area on Tuesday morning, according to police.

The pipe bomb was later determined to be inert, according to Lt. Darrin McKay.

Police responded to the area of Red Bridge at the intersection of Oregon Road and River Road around 10 a.m. on April 2.

McKay said a person using a metal detector in the river found what was believed to be a pipe bomb. The object was wrapped in a T-shirt and was submerged under the water on the riverbed, according to McKay.

Officers determined that the object did appear to be a pipe bomb, and McKay said the area was evacuated and “all of the necessary safety precautions were taken” while the Connecticut State Police bomb squad was called.

The bomb squad confirmed the object was a pipe bomb, according to McKay.

“According to the bomb squad personnel, the device was consistent with similar pipe bombs that had been discovered and removed in years past from the same general vicinity in the river,” McKay wrote in a news release. “The bomb was determined to be inert at this time and posed no danger once examined and removed by the bomb squad personnel. This pipe bomb was most probably in the water for many years and went undiscovered at the time the bomb squad was out for a similar call years ago. Having been submerged in the water for so long, the pipe bomb as noted was determined to be inert and it was properly disposed of and removed by the CT State bomb squad personnel.”