By: Richard L. Smith
A weekend fishing trip turned into a bomb scare on Saturday night after a magnet fisherman pulled a World War II-era artillery shell from the Passaic River, prompting a brief closure of the De Jessa Memorial Bridge, according to Lyndhurst police.
The incident occurred just before 8 p.m. when the fisherman, using a magnet attached to a line, was dropping it from the bridge, which connects Lyndhurst in Bergen County to Nutley in Essex County, and unexpectedly retrieved the old military ordnance, said Lyndhurst Police Capt. Vincent Auteri.
Authorities quickly responded, and the Bergen County Sheriff’s Bomb Squad was called to the scene. Upon investigation, the squad determined that the shell no longer had a fuse and posed no explosive threat. 
As a precaution, the bridge was closed to traffic for approximately 40 minutes while the item was safely removed.
No injuries were reported, and the bridge was reopened without further incident.
Police reminded the public that while magnet fishing can turn up fascinating finds, unexpected discoveries like this one should be reported immediately and handled with caution.