For a stretch on Wednesday, the 500 block of East Ohio Street on Pittsburgh’s North Side emptied in a hurry, as police shut down the area and ordered nearby homes and businesses evacuated after a report of a possible grenade.
Zone 1 patrol officers were first on scene, and the city’s bomb squad soon followed, clearing the block while technicians examined the suspicious item. Once the device was checked, officers reopened East Ohio Street and let residents and customers back into the surrounding buildings, according to TribLIVE.
Why Crews Treat Anything Grenade-Shaped As The Real Deal
Bomb technicians treat anything that looks like military ordnance as if it could be live until they get a close look. That is why even an obviously old or supposedly “inert” grenade usually means evacuations, robots, and a whole lot of caution.
Local history backs that up. In 2024, TSA officers seized inert grenades at Pittsburgh International Airport, prompting reminders about what absolutely does not belong in carry-on bags. And in a separate 2011 county call, the bomb squad was summoned after a man found a grenade, which also turned out to be an inert training device, as reported by CBS News.
Bomb Squad’s Finding And The Investigation
In Wednesday’s North Side scare, bomb squad technicians ultimately determined the object was an inert training grenade - not exactly the live explosive it first appeared to be. That finding allowed crews to lift the precautionary evacuations and reopen the 500 block of East Ohio Street, TribLIVE reported.
Police say they are still investigating how the training grenade ended up on East Ohio Street and whether any criminal activity was involved. Officials have not released details about who reported the object or how it got there. We will continue to watch for further updates from authorities.
