Conn. Police Detonate WWII Grenade

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Nov. 6--HAMDEN -- There was a loud boom in the James Street area Thursday afternoon, but don't worry. It was only the New Haven bomb squad detonating an old grenade.

A Mount Carmel resident who is moving out-of-state contacted police Thursday when she realized that a grenade that was her father's from World War II may still have some juice left, Hamden Deputy Police Chief John Cappiello said.

Hamden police and firefighters protected the house off Whitney Avenue until New Haven police arrived and removed the grenade, Cappiello said.

New Haven police Sgt. Ray Johannes, officer-in-charge of the bomb squad, said a WWII Japanese hand grenade, given to the homeowner by her father, had been left on a shelf.

"They decided to wrap it up and then became concerned, so they called Hamden police," Johannes said.

The bomb squad safely transported the grenade inside a vehicle to Legion Field. A hole was dug in the ground in the middle of the field, and the grenade was safely detonated, Cappiello said.

"We ran a safety procedure on the grenade. ... We destroyed it and took it away," Johannes said.

"When people come across these things when they're cleaning their houses or attics, they shouldn't handle them and should call police," Hamden Police Chief Thomas J. Wydra said.