Police say on Tuesday at approximately 8:12 PM, the Lakewood Police Department was dispatched to Atlantic Coast Recycling, located at 611 New Hampshire Avenue, for a report of what appeared to be a homemade pipe bomb.
Upon arrival of the initial responding officers, the building was evacuated and the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Arson Unit and New Jersey State Police Bomb Squad Unit were requested to respond.
Upon the arrival of the prosecutor's office employees interviews were conducted and a photograph of the device was obtained.
An employee indicated that he had observed the device on the conveyer belt that is used for transporting and separating recyclable material. The device was a cylindrical tube, approximately two feet long, and appeared to have wires attached to it.
Authorities say at this time, New Hampshire Avenue was shut down to vehicular traffic, a safe distance radius was evacuated, and a command post was established with the assistance of the Ocean County Sherriff’s Department.
Notification was made to the New Jersey State Police Regional Operations and Intelligence Center, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the A.T.F.
The New Jersey State Police Bomb Squad Unit examined the object and determined that it was an incendiary device containing a primer.
Further examination concluded that it was an unexpended flare, dated February 1967.
The device was determined to be safe, and was secured by the Bomb Squad for destruction.