A Florida Couple Found A World War II Hand Grenade While Magnet Fishing And Brought The Explosive To Taco Bell
During a fishing trip in 2019, a couple from Florida stumbled upon a hand grenade dating back to World War II. After examining the grenade, they placed it in the trunk of their car and headed to Taco Bell.
When they arrived at the restaurant, they notified authorities of the weapon. Police dispatchers in Ocala, Florida, received an emergency call from a woman on January 26 at 5:01 p.m. local time that she and her boyfriend had found a grenade while fishing in the Ocklawaha River.
According to Officer Jameson Boucher, the couple, both 35 years old—Lorena Upton and Charles Carter—were magnet fishing in the river at the time of the discovery.
They had been searching for valuable scraps of metal they could salvage and sell. Magnet fishing is a hobby that involves people using magnets to pull metal objects from bodies of water.
When Carter reeled in the grenade, he put it in a five-gallon bucket with the other pieces of scrap metal, stowed the bucket in the trunk of Upton’s car, and then drove with Upton to the Ocala Taco Bell to phone the police.
The OPD officers who responded to the call confirmed that the object was “an authentic WWII hand grenade” shortly after arriving. They quickly evacuated the parking lot and the restaurant to ensure everyone’s safety. The Marion County Sheriff’s bomb squad came onto the scene to contain the explosive.
The weapon’s corroded shell resembled that of an Mk 2 grenade, a model commonly used by American soldiers during WWII and the Vietnam War. They were also referred to as “pineapple grenades” because of the ridged surface of their bodies.
Since as far back as the Revolutionary War, grenades have been used in American warfare. During that time, spherical explosives filled with gunpowder helped the colonists triumph in one of the biggest battles at sea, per the National Museum of American History (NMAH).
One Revolutionary War-era grenade was also found in Florida. It is currently in the NMAH’s collection.
Khairil – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only
Hand grenades are made up of three main parts: a body, a filler, and a fuse that detonates the filler. A filler can be a chemical or explosive substance. In the Mk 2 grenade, the filler is trinitrotoluene (TNT) in a cast-iron body. It weighs 21 ounces and has a blast radius of around 33 feet.
The grenade’s metal body was highly corroded and did not seem to be functional due to a broken firing pin mechanism. Still, the bomb squad technicians proceeded with caution. They placed the grenade in a bomb disposal container so it could later be destroyed off-site.
The technicians were able to remove the grenade from the premises without incident. No injuries were reported, and the Taco Bell was promptly reopened.
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