Grenade at Sullivan West could have exploded

By FRITZ MAYER

LAKE HUNTINGTON, NY — A student at Sullivan West High School found a hand grenade during litterpluck activities at the school on the morning of April 23.

The student notified a teacher and the area was cleared. A short while later, the New York State Police recovered the device.

Captain Wayne Olsen said it appeared that the hand grenade was originally hollow and had been intended for ornamental use. It was most likely a replica of a device used in the Vietnam War, but someone had filled the grenade with some kind of explosive material and sealed the bottom.

There was no working pin mechanism, as is required in hand grenades to trigger an explosion, but a fuse had been inserted into the grenade and, said Olsen, “If someone had lighted the fuse, it could have exploded.”

He added, however, that because of the circumstance of the incident, no one was in danger at the time.

Police transported the grenade to a firing range and blew it up.

The grenade, which was found in the woods behind the auditorium, appeared to have been exposed to the weather, and was probably in place for a long time.

As of April 28, the investigation was ongoing regarding further information about the device and how it came to be left near the school, but Olsen said he had no new information to offer at the time. It’s illegal for a person to manufacture an explosive device in New York State.