SURF CITY, NC (WWAY) -- Surf City Police Chief Mike Halstead said in a news release Wednesday that the suspicious device found inside a rental home was actually a Halloween prop, not a bomb.
Police said they were called to a home on October 14th on the 1800 block North New River Drive when an employee with Century 21 found a suspicious device inside the home. The employee said the tenants had recently moved out and she was securing the home.
The bomb unit with Wilmington Police assisted in the detonation of the device. The device was described as three flares with a battery pack, secured by duct tape and connected by two wires. There was also two wine bottles found with a liquid inside. Officials suspected the liquid was an accelerant, but did not test it before detonation.
Chief Halstead said after further investigation by officers and the NCIS, the item was not an active explosive device but a prop for a Halloween party back in 2013. The company hired to move the previous owners found the item in a cabinet and placed it on the counter.
No charges will be filed, the chief said.
