Razing old properties is sometimes like rediscovering history. A demolition team in South Toms River got more than it bargained for, when they scraped away soil from a pair of torpedoes.

Shanty House torpedo (So. Toms River PD)
Shanty House torpedo (So. Toms River PD)
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According to South Toms River police, the workers were clearing the site of the old "Shanty House," on Atlantic City Boulevard, not far from Starboard Street on March 1.

At about 10:30 AM, amid all the effluvia and dust, they uncovered their startling discovery, buried in the foundation, police said.

Shanty House torpedo (So. Toms River PD)
Shanty House torpedo (So. Toms River PD)
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In rapid succession, South Toms River police, emergency management and first-aid staffers arrived, followed by investigators from the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office and Sheriff's Department, a New Jersey State Police bomb squad, Manitou Park Fire Department, and a U.S. Navy team specializing in Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD).

The EOD team determined that the torpedoes were training replicas, and hauled them away for disposal, police said. Authorities did not elaborate on the age or condition of the devices.

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