Magnet fishers reeled in a handgun at a Gloucester County lake. Detectives are investigating how it got there.
The Washington Township Police Department says it wants to know the origins of the handgun and whether it was used to commit a crime.
When three magnet fishers cast lines into Grenloch Lake on Monday, they reeled in something unexpected: a gun.
The grandfather and his two grandchildren had tried magnet fishing — when strong magnets are tied to the ends of rope in the hopes of pulling up long-submerged items — only once before, said Patrick Gurcsik, Washington Township’s police chief.
The weapon, identified as a Walther PPS semiautomatic handgun first introduced in 2007, showed signs of “prolonged exposure to the water and was recovered as evidence,” according to a social media post by Washington Township police. Gurcsik said it is difficult to estimate how long the gun was underwater.
The Washington Township Police Department said detectives are now investigating whether the gun was used to commit a crime “and then tossed into the lake to hide the evidence.”
“The handgun was recovered without a magazine, and the slide is rusted shut,” Gurcsik wrote in an email. “As a result, we have been unable to determine whether a round remains in the chamber.”
Gurcsik said the police department has not yet determined who owned the handgun or whether it was connected to a crime. With the firearm significantly deteriorated, police may need to consult with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for help restoring the gun’s serial number, Gurcsik said.
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