Complex reopens after suspicious device turns out to be dummy bazooka shell.
By: Mark Moffa
WASHINGTON Township police evacuated the Foxmoor shopping center this morning after a suspicious device was found near the complex.
Lt. Martin Masseroni said someone alerted an officer around 8:15 a.m. about a device that looked like a rocket sitting on a traffic island at an exit from the center’s parking lot.
He said the device turned out to be a bazooka round without the explosive material. The device had "Rocket" written on it in white letters, he added.
Lt. Masseroni said an evacuation of the shopping center began around 8:30 a.m., and took about 20 minutes. A staging area was set up in the parking lot of the Rose Hill Assisted Living facility for those evacuated from the center.
The Explosive Ordinance Division of the Department of Defense from Fort Monmouth arrived to inspect the device. It was determined at that time that it was an empty shell, and defense officials took the shell with them, Lt. Masseroni said.
People were allowed back into Foxmoor at 9:45 a.m., police said.
Lt. Masseroni said the incident most likely was a prank.