Bomb squad searches Charles River in Needham for unexploded ordnances
NEEDHAM - The Massachusetts State Police Bomb Squad and other agencies searched the Charles River in Needham Monday following the recent discoveries of two unexploded ordnances in the water.
Needham police said the "precautionary sweep" by the Kendrick Street Bridge turned up "a few miscellaneous items," but no ordnances.
Divers and a remotely operated vehicle searched the riverbed. The public was asked to keep their distance because the bridge is in a heavily trafficked area.
State Police said divers found a large tank with an "unknown substance" inside but it was determined not to be dangerous.
Magnet fishing picks up ordnances in Charles River
The two ordnances were found by people magnet fishing, in which a rope with a powerful magnet is used to pull metal objects from rivers.
Magnet fisherman Sean Martell found the first unexploded ordnance on Kendrick Street near the Newton town line on March 2.
"As soon as I pulled it up, I was like 'Oh no,' and I was like 'It's a bomb,'" he said.
A few days later on March 6, magnet fishermen pulled a heavily deteriorated bazooka round, possibly from World War II, from the water. It happened while WBZ-TV's David Wade was with the group, reporting on a story about magnet fishing.
Josh Parker pulled the bazooka round out of the river and said he was "shaking" during the ordeal.
"The cone shaped head, the fins on the bottom, I can see some wires," he said. "When you're dealing with something that literally could explode, you want to be very, very careful."
State Police Lt. Sean Quirk had told WBZ-TV he wouldn't be surprised if divers detected additional ordnances.
"We are anticipating they'll be more, but as of now there's none," he said.
