Grenade left in package at community mailbox in Kitchener: police

Waterloo Regional Police say a resident found a grenade inside a package at a community mailbox in Kitchener on Wednesday night.

On Thursday, police announced that someone had collected the package at a mailbox near Victoria Street and Westforest Trail in Kitchener.

They then drove to a store at The Boardwalk in Waterloo where they opened the package and discovered what was inside.

“A resident who lives in the area went to what is described as a community mailbox and this package was located in the mailbox,” police spokesperson Cherri Greeno said.

“And upon opening it, the resident saw what was inside and immediately contacted police.”

She said that officers secured the area for safety reasons before they took a closer look at the package and found the grenade inside.

“Members of our explosive disposal team (EDT) were called in and attended the scene to secure the package, and were able to safely dispose of it,” Greeno said.

Const. Melissa Quarrie said it was not clear whether the grenade was live or not.

“The (EDT) was unable to determine at that time if the grenade was an inert or a live explosive device and took all necessary safety precautions,” she said through email.

Greeno said that the box did have an address on it but was not able to reveal further details as it remains under investigation.

“As part of the investigation, officers are looking to determine what led the package to be delivered to that specific mailbox and location,” Greeno said.