An 8-year-old boy in Sacramento County made a jaw-dropping discovery in his backyard — a live military mortar — setting off a neighborhood evacuation.
North Patrol deputies responded just after noon when the homeowner’s son uncovered the object while digging in their yard on the 5500 block of Marconi Avenue.
It was suspected to be unexploded ordnance, according to the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office.
Neighbors waited outside their homes for four hours while the Sheriff’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal team investigated the scene carefully.
After experts confirmed the threat, the U.S. Air Force arrived and confirmed the object was a live 81mm mortar.
Authorities safely removed and destroyed the mortar with assistance from Air Force explosive ordnance disposal teams from Beale Air Force Base, reported ABC10.
The 8-year-old spoke with the outlet one day after the incident. When asked to describe the object he found — Mateo — whose family moved in just two months earlier, answered, “like a bottle of missiles.”
“The truth is that right now I am scared that there could be other explosives in the yard,” said Mateo’s mom, Mirna Bermudez. “They are scared, the kids are scared of exploring in the yard.”
Sgt. Edward Igoe of the Sacramento PD told the outlet that the munition discovered at the home dates back to 1953.
“That munition itself has a capability to send frag out 1,000 feet,” said Igoe.
