Jamie Hunt’s seven-year-old son was playing in his Perkasie backyard with a friend. They imagined themselves as treasure hunters, scanning the property for valuables. What they eventually found wasn’t diamonds; it was something much more dangerous. David Chang unpacked the details for NBC10.
As the kids were playing, Hunt said, they discovered a box under some tree branches. Its markings — “5.56 mm” — led them to believe they had found a cashbox containing $5 million.
What it turned out to be, as later verified by Hilltown Township Police, was a container holding a grenade, mortar tips, and fuses.
Law enforcement officers had the kids’ find X-rayed.
“Based on an X-ray, the grenade appeared to be empty and not a threat,” Hilltown Township Police Chief Chris Engelhart said. “The other items were mortar tips and fuses, and it could not be determined if they were all safe or not.”
The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department Ordinance Disposal Unit confiscated the items after consulting with military officials. There was no threat to the public and no evacuations, according to Chief Engelhart.
One explanation for the potentially dangerous oddity is that the box may have belonged to the former homeowners, thought to be hoarders.
More on this unusual backyard find by a pair of hopeful treasure hunters is at NBC10.