Discovery Of Mortar Shell Prompts Evacuation At Philipstown Construction Site

A hazardous device team was called to a Hudson Valley property after a mortar shell was found during excavation work.

The mortar was found on a property on Juniper Hill Road in Philipstown.
Photo Credit: *Google Maps/Pixabay via Diego Fabian Parra Pabon*

06/22/2024 8:00 a.m.

The incident happened in Putnam County on Monday, June 17, when a caller performing excavation work at a Philipstown property on Juniper Hill Road reported the discovery of an unexploded mortar shell under some rocks, the Putnam County Sheriff's Office announced on Wednesday, June 19.

A responding sheriff's deputy then removed all workers from the area and called for the Westchester County Police Hazardous Devices Unit to help remove the mortar.

Eventually, the object was found to be an inert military-grade mortar round from the 1950s and had been at the property for a "long period of time," the Sheriff's Office said.

No other devices were found in the area during a search performed after the mortar's removal.

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