Monday’s incident at Wilton’s Middlebrook School involving an ‘object’ found on the school’s athletic fields turned out to be something potentially more serious than nearby coyote sightings during the past year. Wilton Police Lt. Anna Tornello confirmed that the item spotted by a staff member was a “real artifact” and not a facsimile of a grenade, although it was hollow and inert.
Tornello also confirmed that students were present when the grenade was spotted in batting cages located on school property.
“At the time the object was found, the gym class was walking by the area to go to the fields, so students were present when it was found,” she wrote in an email.
Wilton’s Parks and Recreation Department oversees the batting cages at the athletic fields at Middlebrook. GOOD Morning Wilton has reached out to Parks & Rec staff about who may have had access to the batting cage before Monday.
School officials and the Wilton Police Department both released statements Monday afternoon that said a staff member found the item and notified Middlebrook administrators a few minutes after 1 p.m. on Monday, June 3.
After the grenade was found, school officials said Middlebrook administrators immediately initiated a “secure protocol” and notified the Wilton Police.
According to the Wilton Public Schools‘ statement, “Any students and staff outside the building at that time were ushered inside as the school moved into the secure protocol. Students whose classrooms were in close proximity to the fields moved to a separate part of the building as per the Wilton Police Department.”
According to the police statement, the batting cages “are far from the school building.”
Wilton Police secured the scene and called in the Stamford Bomb Squad, which arrived at Middlebrook at approximately 2 p.m. Bomb Squad personnel determined the device to be “hollow and inert” and removed the item. Tornello conveyed the item was not detonated because it was hollow and inert.
Tornello said that no one has claimed the grenade, and as of now, it is not yet known where it came from. She added that Wilton’s School Resource Officer is investigating the matter.
Based on the Bomb Squad’s assessment of the situation, school officials were able to lift the secure protocol at approximately 2:15 p.m. and sent an “all clear” communication to staff and the community.
School officials said students were able to “resume their typical day” which included moving to their last period class.
The statement from school officials referred to the responsiveness on the part of both Middlebrook staff and the Wilton Police.
“While we recognize that such a finding may be unsettling, we want to highlight the quick response of the Middlebrook staff, the Wilton Police Department, and the Stamford Bomb Squad, all of which acted quickly out of an abundance of caution to ensure the safety of students and staff,” it read.