Novelty grenade leads to evacuation

TONAWANDA, N.Y. (WIVB) - The day after a man was arrested for having a live grenade in his vehicle , the building he works in was evacuated because of a grenade scare.

Authorities say 26-year-old Paul Kaiser works at Anderson Equipment Company. Early Tuesday morning, an employee found what appeared to be a grenade in Kaiser’s work space.

Town of Tonawanda Police and the Erie County Bomb Squad responded to the call shortly after 8:30 a.m. They evacuated the building and quickly determined it was a novelty item and not an active device.

Officials searched the building for any other weapons before clearing the scene.

Monday, Kaiser was arrested after police found weapons and an explosive in his car’s trunk, during a routine traffic stop in LeRoy.

Kaiser will not face any charges from Tuesday’s incident, since the grenade wasn’t real. Police don’t believe he planted it in his work zone, with the intent to scare people.