World War II Ammuntion Prompts Evacuation In Lakehurst

LAKEHURST, NJ — The discovery of inert World War II era explosives prompted an evacuation of several homes in Lakehurst on Sunday, police said.

Homes within a 250-foot radius around the 500 block of Rose and Willow streets, along with residents in the 400 and 500 blocks of Maple and Poplar streets were evacuated shortly after noon on Sunday after a resident reported finding the items in the basement of a home during a cleanup, Police Chief Matthew Kline said.

The items were described as a hand grenade and an anti-tank round labeled "1942 WWII," Kline said.

The New Jersey State Police Bomb Squad along with detectives from the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Arson Unit assessed the devices and determined they were not live ammunition, he said.

State Police confiscated both items for safety, Kline said.

All residents within the evacuation zone were notified of the findings, and the evacuation was lifted shortly before 1:30 p.m., police said.