Beachfront roads in a section of northern Middletown were closed and a few homes evacuated while police units from Middletown Township and a specialized squad from Naval Weapons Station Earle urgently investigated a report of unexploded ordnance on the beach Friday morning.
But by noon, Middletown Township Police Det. Lt. Stephen Dollinger was able to report that there was nothing for residents to worry about.
Dollinger said that the Explosive Ordnance Disposal team from NWS Earle determined that the ordnance that was retrieved from Ideal Beach in Northern Middletown was not real and may have been used for training at one time.
"The ordnance was never active," Dollinger said in a statement.
NWS Earle base spokesman Michael Brady said the object spotted on the beach and reported to police by an observant citizen was 8" in diameter and 29" long. The EOD Team identified it as a "dummy projectile."
"It's used for training purposes. There is no explosive aspect to it," Brady said. "It's not the kind of thing that can blow up."
Middletown Police are investigating how the "dummy" got there. The location of the beachfront was Bayside Parkway and Hudson Street.
Emergency response workers were excused from the scene, and homeowners allowed to return to their houses by 12:30 p.m.
