N.J. State Police Lt. David Yusko, bomb commander for the State Police Bomb Squad, left, and two township police officers examine a mortar shell brought to police headquarters on June 20.

A 70-mm mortar shell that could date back to as long ago as World War I was taken for disposal June 20 from the front of police headquarters by the bomb commander of the State Police bomb squad.

The mortar was brought to the headquarters at about 11 a.m. by a township resident who said he found it in the bottom of a box of items he’d purchased at a garage sale, said police Lt. Darrin Russo.

The resident walked into police headquarters, “picked up the phone and called the desk,” Russo said. “The sergeant answered the phone, and the guy says he has an artillery shell. The sergeant told him to go outside.”

Russo said he and Sgt. Ed Stout – who took the call – followed the man outside.

“He was sitting on the bench with it, we told him to put it on the grass,” Russo said.

N.J. State Police Lt. David Yusko, bomb commander of the department’s bomb squad, responded to the call and inspected the bomb.

“From what I could check right now, it appears to be inert, it appears to be safe,” he said.

He said that after his initial inspection and reviewing photos that township police had sent him, “I was able to bring my threat assessment down to a level where I could just use my diagnostics equipment to figure out what we had.”

Yusko performed some diagnostics on the device – which he declined to describe – before placing it in a special box and loading it into his vehicle.

The bomb, he said, will probably be taken to the U.S. Navy Weapons Station Earle in Monmouth County where it will probably be destroyed.

Yusko said it was hard to pinpoint the bomb’s age, but he said it could date bak to one of the world wars.

Russo said the front of the police station was cleared, and entrances on either side of the parking lot were blocked. There were no other evacuations.

The all-clear was given at about 12:30 p.m.

Mortar Shell Brought To Police Headquarters