WWII-Era Rocket Safely Removed From Yard Near Antioch

LAKE COUNTY, IL — A bomb squad was able to safely remove an object that resembled a World War II-era rocket Thursday from the yard where it was found near Antioch, authorities said.

The Waukegan Bomb Squad took the object to "an undisclosed location to detonate the device," according to a post on the Lake County Sheriff's Office Facebook page.

The Lake County Sheriff's Office was first called to the home in the 25000 block of West 3rd Street in unincorporated Antioch Thursday morning after a resident doing yard work found the object, which resembled a World War II-era anti-tank rocket, according to authorities.

It was unclear at the time how long the object had been there or if it had the possibility to explode, police said.

The homeowner doing yard work came upon the device after noticing its sharp edges sticking out of the ground. Curious regarding what it was, the resident continued to dig the item out of the ground.

When deputies arrived at the scene, they evacuated area homes. Residents were informed they could return to their homes Thursday afternoon after the object was removed from the area.