Resident tells Pennsauken committee an artillery shell was found in Pensacola Creek; origin unknown

A resident said at the Oct. 14 Pennsauken Township Committee meeting that a person using a magnet to search the creek found an artillery shell in Pensacola Creek and that the township’s bomb squad later detonated it.

The resident said they heard “an explosion I haven't heard since I was in the military” and that when they went to investigate they were told “there was an artillery shell at Pensacola Creek.” The resident said they had not seen coverage in a local paper and asked whether officials had determined where the device came from or whether more shells might remain.

A township staff member responded, “There was a magnetic fisherman in the creek, and he located an artillery shop. We had to have the bomb squad come out and detonate it. But we did post that on Tip411 for the public.” The staff member said officials did not know the device’s origin and suggested it was “something that's been there for years” and “probably from World War II.”

Committee members did not record a formal directive or vote on further searches during the public-comment exchange. The transcript shows residents asked whether the township would investigate other areas; officials did not commit to a wider search but said the incident had been shared with the public via Tip411.

The exchange occurred during the public-comment portion of the meeting. No ordinance, contract, budget item or formal resolution related to explosive ordnance was presented or voted on during the remarks recorded in the transcript.

The township did not provide a timeline or an identified lead investigator during the meeting. Officials said only that the bomb squad handled the device and that the discovery was reported publicly.