A novelty grenade sent a Glendale school into panic last Thursday after officials found the suspicious item inside a lunchbox, the Police Department said.
PS 91 in Glendale evacuated the building last week after a school administrator spotted what resembled a grenade inside a lunchbox near a school safety agent’s desk tucked underneath some candy wrappers around 11:30 a.m., authorities said. The lunchbox belonged to another administrator at the school, who was not named, police said.
Police had all students and staff evacuated from the building at 68-10 Central Ave. soon after the sighting while the NYPD emergency service unit and bomb squad investigated the suspicious grenade-like object. It was found to be harmless and was taken out of the school, the NYPD said.
All of those evacuated were allowed back into the building around 1 p.m., police said. There were no reported injuries.
The Education Department later had the school evacuated for safety precautions.
“It ended up being a novelty item from a hollowed out grenade,” a DOE spokesman said. “The bomb squad determined it was not live and the principal had letters send home to parents.”
No charges were expected toward the administrator responsible for bringing the item to the school.
By Phil Corso
