A cannonball was found in the backyard of a Cherry Hill home
The incident led to street closures and evacuations.
A cannonball was found buried in a Cherry Hill home’s backyard Friday morning, prompting street closures and evacuations.
The Cherry Hill Police Department responded to the 200 block of Woodstock Drive South just before noon, after residents found a very old cannonball buried in their yard, said Captain Sheldon Bryant.
The Camden County Sheriff’s Department Bomb Unit was called in to handle the situation. The police temporarily evacuated neighboring homes and closed down surrounding streets.
Cannonballs have appeared in New Jersey yards before.
In June 2015, an old cannonball mysteriously appeared in Madison in North Jersey, and was turned over to the U.S. Army, according to NBC New York.
A month later, a couple found what turned out to be an active cannonball while landscaping their backyard in Lower Township in Cape May County. It was later detonated in an unpopulated area, 6abc reported.
As for the Cherry Hill cannonball, it’s unknown where the cannonball came from, how old it was, exactly how it was discovered, or how long it had been in the yard. The Bomb Unit took the cannonball for proper disposal, and the area was cleared in less than an hour, Bryant said. Streets were open soon after.
“We treat every situation like this with care and caution to ensure the safety of our residents,” Bryant said. “We are thankful for the swift response of the Camden County Sheriff’s Department Bomb Unit and for the cooperation of the neighborhood while we worked to resolve this safely.”