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Artillery Shrapnel Hits House, Kills Cat

CBS News

Posted: 2008-04-14 19:23:19

Filed Under: Nation News

ROCKAWAY TOWNSHIP, N.J. (April 13) - A New Jersey family had some scary moments after their house was hit by a fiery missile.

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Shrapnel Crashes
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Sarah, a 14-year-old cat, was lying on a bed in the Angle family's home in Jefferson Township, N.J., when a piece of an artillery shell crashed through the roof Friday afternoon and landed on the bed. Sarah was severely injured and the family had to have her euthanized.

Watch Video: Artillery Fragment Fatally Wounds Family's Cat

A fragment of a two-pound artillery shell plummeted through the roof of their Jefferson Township home around 2:30 p.m. Friday, landing on their little girl's bed -- ultimately killing the family's cat.

CBS Station WCBS correspondent Lou Young reports the shell was fired off from the Picatinny Arsenal, the U.S. Army's sprawling weapons research facility in Picatinny, 2.5 to 3 miles away.

"They heard the explosion, they felt the concussion and a few seconds later the piece came through the roof," homeowner Fred Angle said.

The sheer random chance of the event is staggering. Shrapnel came sailing through the air in an arc punching a hole in the roof the size of a fist, into the bedroom where 10-year-old Cassandra sleeps.

The piece of shrapnel landed where the girl normally sleeps.

Brandon Gadow, Cassandra's brother, tried to grab the shrapnel, but it was too hot. He pulled the blanket and the cat outside and called the police.

The family's cat was injured and had to be euthanized, but Cassandra was spared because she was picked up early for a playdate.

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"Literally she would've been sitting in the bed with the cat because that was where she was before she left," Cassandra's mother Cheryl Angle said. "The cat ended up staying there when she left."

Base spokesman Peter Rowlands said, "We deeply regret what happened and also the effect it's had on the family, the loss of their pet, and also the damage to their home, and just the fright they experienced."

The Army knows it was lucky -- that it dodged a bullet, not to put too fine a point on it -- and as a result all outdoor weapons testing has been suspended pending the outcome of an investigation.

Army brass will be back out at the house soon to talk about compensation for the family.

Picatinny is the site of the Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center, whose mission is to conduct research, development and engineering for weapons systems.

Ironically, the Army says the accident occurred while it was testing safer way to dispose of unwanted artillery shells.

Copyright 2008, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.

2008-04-14 15:02:56

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2535 comments

msi32 11:39:17 AM Apr 17 2008

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Oh this is so sad!

rlau290541 01:48:42 PM Apr 16 2008

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That cat has seen more combat than John Kerry, Al Bore, and Hillary Clinton and Bill the coward Clinton combined.!! Bet Sarah won't misrember this incident!

rlau290541 01:44:46 PM Apr 16 2008

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Was Dick Cheny on the artillery range that day?

dzuls 01:22:46 PM Apr 16 2008

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There's something I don't get here. Every military base I've been around that uses anything remotely explosive has its range so darned far from anything that could even remotely be affected that it surprises me that anything like this could happen in the first place. Unless there's the "Hey Guys, watch this!" causality in effect.

macungiee8 11:08:37 AM Apr 16 2008

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What was the cat doing on the bed in the frist place!!! Maybe it was a Al Queda operative house, one never knows what wire tapping can lead too !!!!

rivertrat 10:28:18 AM Apr 16 2008

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Too bad it happened, the Army will make it right. If they "lawyer up" screw them...
They were funny on the Today show...they asked the little girl that wasn't home if she wanted a new cat...She said it would be nice...but they still have 5 left at home now!!

vampire509 05:44:05 AM Apr 16 2008

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Sounds like the kind of accident where heads should roll. To my mind the family should be compensated for their actual damages and receive as sincere an apology as the Army can offer. But since it appears to have been an accident rather than an act of malice, I wouldn't give them a penny more.

emtjbrown 12:10:04 AM Apr 16 2008

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Yet another reason why NJ sucks

johnnyangel228 11:22:43 PM Apr 15 2008

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NICE SHOT!!

shadyjerk6299 11:18:10 PM Apr 15 2008

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i'm sure the little girl wont sleep in the house since then. i mean the trauma of it coming thru the......., oh wait, she wasnt home when it happenned. the family must b trying 2 get more compensation from the gov't by saying they have 2 send their child away. u chose 2 live there, i would never have moved my family anywhere near an artllery kill zone. ur morons looking for a hand out.

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