Wrentham Boys Hailed As Heroes After Finding Grenade In Woods

WRENTHAM, MA — Two 12-year-old boys from Wrentham are being hailed heroes by the Wrentham police chief after exercising 'wicked smaht' judgment while enjoying the outdoors Wednesday.

Kevin Castaneda and his friend Jackson Allen were hiking on a trail when they spotted a pile of trash, which they headed over to investigate, Police Chief Bill McGrath wrote in a statement Saturday.

That's when they found a hand grenade "somewhat camouflaged in its surroundings," according to McGrath.

"And this is where the “SMAHT” comes in," McGrath wrote. "Perhaps, I’m underestimating the average kids ... Kevin and his friend Jackson DID NOT give in to “kid curiosity “. They DID NOT give it a little “test push” with their foot and DID NOT pick that grenade up for closer inspection. Ya’ know…to see if it was real…or maybe a toy."

Noting that Kevin and Jackson put into action the words "see something, say something" when something doesn't look or seem right," McGrath added that Kevin and Jackson paused, took a picture with their phone, made a mental note of their location, and "beelined it straight home where they immediately reported it to adults."

Wrentham Police and Fire responded to the scene with the Bomb Squad, confirming that the grenade was real but hollowed out and therefore harmless.

"Had that grenade been live, had Kevin and Jackson caved to curiosity, this story would be tragic," McGrath wrote. "But thankfully, two wicked smaht kids did the right thing and we all benefit from the lesson, for ourselves to share with and educate our own kids."