ROCKAWAY TOWNSHIP, N.J., April 13, 2008
Artillery Shell Strikes House, Kills Cat
Army Suspends Weapon Testing At N.J. Base After Home Almost 3 Miles Away Is Hit
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Artillery Kills Family Cat
A family cat was killed when their New Jersey home was hit by a wayward piece of artillery shrapnel. Julie Chen speaks with family members about their terrifying experience.
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A fragment of a two-pound artillery shell plummeted through the roof of a New Jersey house, landing on their little girl's bed and ultimately killing the family's cat. (WCBS)
A fragment of a two-pound artillery shell plummeted through the roof of their Jefferson Township home around 2:30 p.m. Friday, landing on their little girl's bed - ultimately killing the family's cat.
CBS Station WCBS correspodnent Lou Young reports the shell was fired off from the Picatinny Arsenal, the U.S. Army's sprawling weapons research facility in Picatinney, 2.5 to 3 miles away.
"They heard the explosion, they felt the concussion and a few seconds later the piece came through the roof," homeowner Fred Angle said.
The sheer random chance of the event is staggering. Shrapnel came sailing through the air in an arc punching a hole in the roof the size of a fist, into the bedroom where 10-year-old Cassandra sleeps.
The piece of shrapnel landed where the girl normally sleeps.
The Angle family spoke with co-anchor Julie Chen about the tragedy on The Early Show Monday. To see the interview, click here.
Brandon Gadow, Cassandra's brother, tried to grab the shrapnel, but it was too hot. He pulled the blanket and the cat outside and called the police.
The family's cat was injured and had to be euthanized, but Cassandra was spared because she was picked up early for a playdate.
"Literally she would've been sitting in the bed with the cat because that was where she was before she left," Cassandra's mother Cheryl Angle said. "The cat ended up staying there when she left."
Base Spokesman Peter Rowlands said, "we deeply regret what happened and also the effect it's had on the family; the loss of their pet, and also the damage to their home, and just the fright they experienced."
The Army knows it was lucky - that it dodged a bullet, not to put too fine a point on it - and as a result all outdoor weapons testing has been suspended pending the outcome of an investigation.
Army brass will be back out at the house on Monday to talk about compensation for the family.
Picatinny is the site of the Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center, whose mission is to conduct research, development and engineering for weapons systems.
Ironically, the Army says the accident occurred while it was testing safer way to dispose of unwanted artillery shells.
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See all 56 Commentsposted by michaelt302 at 10:26 AM : Apr 13, 2008
Thinking out of the box. Is not the cat, is the human being that sleeps in that room.
THIS WAS ONE OF SADDAM''S CAPTURED
MISSILES TO DEMONSTRATE IT''S ACCURACY,
LENGTH OF TRAVEL AND LETHALITY SO AS
LEGITIMIZE OUR INVADING IRAQ.
IT MISSED THE TARGET, . .
TRAVELED THE LENGTH OF FOOTBALL FIELD
AND KILLED A CAT.
Exactly right. If that was my cat, I would be seeking REVENGE. I would hunt whoever did it down, string them up by their feet and beat them to death.:) You wouldn''t even want to know what I would do if that was my kid!
Posted by demslie at 08:47 AM : Apr 13, 2008
This was a left over from the 2000 Republican Primary and Bush screwed it up too.
McCaine not McFeline...
There is more than one way to skin a cat.
/I have a cat, and just wish it could have been there.
//just kidding...sheesh!!
all you guys care about is to find things to whine about..
The Army knows it was lucky - that it dodged a bullet,"
LOL, yeah they WILL regret it as well as not dodge the bullet after all when the milti-million dollar lawsuit hits them.
Doubt the family will be happy with the army''s offer of a replacement cat and tickets to Disney World, this one should be worth a few million at least, they just need to get the right lawyer on a contingency basis.
Screwups like this inspire so much confidence in the military.
Screwups like this inspire so much confidence in the military.
Posted by SBCarlosM
There''s no money to be had for the military industrial complex by getting OBL and his cohorts and possibly ending this ridiculous, ineffectual "war on terror". There IS lots of money to be made, however, testing out new military toys and establishing reasons to spend even more on the military industrial complex. If we could find ways to make OBL''s capture profitable for Cheney''s buddies at Haliburton, he''d be behind bars in a week.
I think it is YOU that is the whiner. AND OBSESSED, WHACKO.
all you guys care about is to find things to whine about..
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Posted by LIBSRWEAK at 01:27 PM : Apr 13, 2008
LIBSRWEAK, the libs are just defending their own kind... you know pu$$ies. Hey, was Hillary around? She could talk about having to dodge artillary fire.
... and this was supposed to be the democrats big year.
What do you call a CAT that''s been hit by an artilery shell?
It DOESN''T matter--he can''t come anyway!!
;-0
Killing a cat is one thing; but if they killed a dog, THAT would be both tragic and worth reporting. It must be a slow news day at CBS." --posted by wawhite
The POINT is, the little GIRL could have been the cat if she hadn''t been away from the house at the time. The cat was on a child''s bed. The Army gets zero for an unlucky lucky shot.
If that had come into MY child''s bedroom, where she is supposed to be safe and secure, I would be FURIOUS.
Well, I agree on that point, but if the artillery makes it off base(outside of reasonably set boundaries), then the army should be held at least partially responsible, IMO.
Actually, your comment was funny. I just wasn''t in the mood to let it pass. Now that I''ve had lunch, I feel better about it. *grin*
Too bad it wasn''t you.
Geez, did I say that? Sorry.:)
When was the house built? When was Picatinny Arsenal built?
Obviously a person is more important than a cat, dog or whatever but a cat or dog is still a living creature. They give love without expecting anything in return. All living creatures have a right to live...except maybe you. Anybody that is as callous as you doesn''t deserve to live as far as I am concerned
Okay, and so then WHY did you read this article and post comments then?
Posted by GWno1
Did you actually *read* the article? It said that the little girl would have been there, with the cat, if she hadn''t been picked up early for her playdate. All this aside, are you saying it''s okay for the Army to bomb US civilian homes at random if no cats, dogs, or people die?
Actually, I think GWNo1 wants cats to die. I think they had a traumatic experience with a cat as a child. I''ve never seen such hatred towards harmless, innocent creatures. Get a life, dude.
Actually, I think GWNo1 wants cats to die. I think they had a traumatic experience with a cat as a child. I''ve never seen such hatred towards harmless, innocent creatures. Get a life, dude.
There should be, but I''ll bet that there will never be even a apology to this family.
"There should be, but I''ll bet that there will never be even a apology to this family. Posted by cbsblogger
cbsblogger - did you even READ the article before making your hate post ?
I as a pro choice advocate, which by the way does not mean pro abortion. It is the opportunity for a woman to make choices when it comes to her body. Pro choice offers counseling to those indivduals that want it and they are not necessarily counseled to have an abortion. Let me ask you what do you think about children that are born into homes where proper care can not be provided due to finances and/or neglect? I know we have to agree to disagree.
Posted by rob416 at 08:56 PM : Apr 13, 2008---------------Thanks for making my point VERY clear. Folks like you consider the feelings of a cat to be more important than the feelings of a little child......sicko!
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