By Greg Ellison

(Sept. 23, 2021) Suspicious containers spotted by Berlin Public Works crews in Stephen Decatur Park last Thursday were declared harmless by emergency responders who were called to the scene to investigate.

According to a release issued by the Berlin Police Department, the incident began just prior to 1 p.m. on Sept. 16 when public works staff noticed two steel military ammunition cans while trimming grass in the park on Tripoli Street.

Public works personnel and town staff said the weight of the steel containers implied they contained something.

After being alerted about the discovery, Berlin Police contacted the Worcester County Fire Marshal office to respond to the scene, but also decided to have the containers x-rayed.

In short order the Ocean City Bomb Squad arrived and deployed a robot to scan the containers using portable x-ray equipment.

After reviewing the scan data, bomb squad members moved in for a closer inspection after donning protective gear.

Investigators eventually determined the ammunition cans concealed plastic bags filled with a clay-like soil.

Police suspect someone was using the weighed-down cans for exercise purposes and inadvertently left the items behind.