A resident in New York recently went viral after what was supposed to be a simple backyard cleanup project on their birthday turned into a large emergency response involving police, firefighters, and a bomb squad. The resident said they were digging up roots in their yard when they unexpectedly uncovered what appeared to be a rocket-propelled grenade, commonly known as an RPG.
The story was shared on Reddit in the r/mildlyinfuriating subreddit, where it quickly gained traction. The post received more than 74,000 upvotes and over 2,000 comments as users reacted to the unexpected discovery.
According to the New York resident, they were clearing roots near a large rose root ball when they uncovered a buried metal object. At first, they believed it was an old cast-iron pipe, but after cleaning away more dirt, they realized it resembled an RPG round.
The New York resident admitted they panicked and moved the object by its tail fin before fully understanding what it was. After realizing the potential danger, they contacted local authorities through the non-emergency line and explained that they believed they had discovered an RPG in their yard.
Police reportedly arrived within minutes, followed by firefighters, a K9 team, and county bomb squad personnel. The resident said the full response lasted a little over three hours.
According to the post, bomb squad technicians scanned the suspected RPG using specialized equipment to determine whether it was still dangerous. Although they reportedly believed the round might not have been fully active, they could not confirm it was safe and eventually removed it from the property using bomb disposal gear.
The New York resident also shared lighter moments from the incident, including meeting a police K9 named Dave while crews investigated the object.
New York Backyard RPG Discovery Stuns Reddit
Internet users who saw the post expressed disbelief that someone in New York could uncover an RPG in their backyard. Many commenters joked about the bizarre situation, while others focused on the dangers involved.
“Did ya try poking it with a stick while using safety squints?” one user joked. Extra points if you had a cup of coffee or tea in hand during the experience.”
Other users were more curious about how military ordnance could have ended up buried in a residential yard. One commenter theorized that the object may have been connected to nearby military training activity from decades ago. The user claimed the round looked similar to a U.S. M6A1 anti-tank rocket used during World War II and the Korean War.
The commenter also pointed to the property’s proximity to Camp Smith, a long-running New York National Guard training site, suggesting that the occasional turn-up of unrecovered ordnance in nearby wooded areas and neighborhoods is not impossible.
Authorities have not publicly confirmed whether the object was fully active or where it came from. However, the strange discovery has continued circulating online as one of the more unexpected backyard finds people have seen in recent years.
