Workers at a Maine Goodwill retailer found hand grenades hidden in a donation field — forcing the store to evacuate, in accordance with authorities.
The field, which was left exterior the Goodwill in Augusta, contained what seemed to be military-grade grenades and mortars, Morgan Sewall, a spokesperson for Goodwill Northern New England, mentioned in a press release.
As quickly because the explosives have been situated by staff Tuesday morning, the shop was evacuated for the Maine State Police Bomb Squad to evaluate the state of affairs, Sewall mentioned.
Shortly after 1:10 pm, the shop reopened after authorities gave the situation the clear — reassuring patrons the hand grenade was not energetic, Goodwill Northern New England introduced in a Fb publish.
“Unfortunately this is oddly common,” Sewall mentioned within the assertion.
“Many New Englanders collect antique weapons in their homes. We ask that people do not donate weaponry. Even if they know it is antique and safe, our store employees do not, and we need to take the precautions we have today,” Sewall mentioned.
Police don’t consider there was any ailing intent from the one that dropped off the vintage explosive, WMTW reported.
In October 2023, a donation of a stay “cluster bomblet” at a Wisconsin Goodwill prompted the evacuation of a whole metropolis block and an investigation into the thriller donor.
