Police, bomb squad called after grenade found at home

PITTSBURGH — Police were called Monday afternoon after a grenade was found at a home in Pittsburgh’s Marshall-Shadeland neighborhood.

The discovery was reported about 1:30 p.m. while a group from The Pittsburgh Project was repairing a roof in the area of Sorrell and Jawett streets.

"As a chaperone and being responsible, it's a little unnerving, no question about it," said Mike Mandarano, the Pittsburgh Project leader of six kids from Newtown, Connecticut.

The homeowner came out with old keepsakes, including the grenade.

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Unsure whether the grenade was live, the leader of the group called police. The bomb squad also responded.

"We didn't know whether it was live or not, but with six kids here working, we don't take a chance," Mandarano. "So I took it from her and put it on the side of the yard here and called the bomb squad."

Investigators determined that the grenade was hollowed out and was not live.

"Apparently, you can hollow out the bottom of them and take out the igniter on it, the fuse on it and they just become a paperweight," Mandarano said.

He's thankful everyone is safe, and the kids will be going home with a new  lesson learned.

"We're just going to be more careful, we're going to definitely make sure we're more diligent about what we tip over in boxes and things," Mandarano said.

Cox Media Group