2 Military Projectiles Recovered from Mass. River in 1 Week: ‘Why Are These Objects Being Found There?’
"I'm speechless, I'm shaking, I'm nervous," magnet fisherman Josh Parker, who pulled the latest ordnance out of the water, recalled
For the second time in a week, a military projectile was recovered from the same Massachusetts river, thanks to magnet fishing enthusiasts.
The Needham Police Department said that individuals were magnet fishing from the Charles River late Wednesday morning when they picked what appeared to be explosive ordnance.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
“Needham Police and Needham Firefighters - Local 1706 responded to the scene and secured the area pending arrival of the Massachusetts State Police Bomb Squad,” the police department wrote on Facebook Wednesday. “They have since determined the ordnance will need to be detonated. It will be disposed of shortly in an unspecified area of town. You may hear it in town.”
Related: World War II Bomb Explodes at Munich Construction Site, Injuring 4 People
The latest discovery comes just less than a week after authorities announced a military projectile was retrieved on March 1 by a person also magnet fishing from the Charles River.
“Upon arriving on scene, Needham Police had the area secured with the object — approximately 12” long and 4” in diameter — sitting on the sidewalk (that area of Kendrick Street is a bridge over the Charles River),” said the Massachusetts State Police.
Following an inspection of the object, authorities determined the projectile was in a very deteriorated state and needed to be disposed of.
Related: Couple Stuck Inside for Hours After Finding Live, 'Extremely Volatile' WWII-Era Japanese Bomb
"The projectile was secured and transported to the disposal site, where the Bomb Squad members safely countercharged and disposed of it without incident,” Massachusetts State Police added.
Sean Martell, a magnet fishing enthusiast, discovered the first projectile on March 1. He told CNN when he pulled the object out, “it screamed mortar (round).”
Martell, who has a YouTube channel called Brockton Magnet Fisher with over 6,000 subscribers, recalled his reaction after pulling up the projectile to NBC affiliate WBTS. “I knew right away [it was a bomb]. As soon as I put it down…I was like, ‘I’m gonna have to call the police.’ ”
According to Popular Mechanics, magnet fishing involves using a strong magnet to pull objects submerged in water; some powerful magnets can retrieve items weighing as much as 2,000 pounds from the water. The hobby grew in popularity during the pandemic, CBS affiliate WBZ reported.
Related: Child Finds Grenade Buried Behind South Carolina Home
"I'm speechless, I'm shaking, I'm nervous," magnet fisherman Josh Parker, who pulled the latest ordnance out of the water Wednesday, told WBZ "The cone-shaped head, the fins on the bottom, I can see some wires."
Parker, who described himself as a history buff, told WBTS that finding the projectile was an “awesome” experience. “To find a bazooka round?" That's every little boy's dream is to be the bazooka guy when they're playing army,” he said.
In an interview with CNN about the second discovery of a military projectile, Massachusetts State Police spokesperson Dave Procopio appeared incredulous that this occurred again from the Charles River and was also linked to magnet fishing.
“The discovery of the round was the second time in a matter of days that a member of a magnet fishing group pulled an old piece of military ordnance from the Charles River under the Kendrick Street bridge,” Procopio said. “This begs: Why are these objects being found there all of a sudden?”
The spokesperson also told CNN that it is common for magnet fishermen to locate ordnances in bodies of water.
PEOPLE contacted the Massachusetts State Police Thursday for updates about the discoveries and how the projectiles ended up in the Charles River.
For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!
Read the original article on People.