Dateline: New YorkConstruction workers renovating an office building in Manhattan earlier this month uncovered what looked like a World War II-era bomb, complete with metal casing and fins. According to NBC-4 News in New York, a portion of 21st Street near Fifth Avenue was shut down by police, and buildings were evacuated. However, the NYPD bomb squad quickly determined that the “bomb” was, in fact, a time capsule. John Argento, who once owned a famous nightclub called Danceteria on the property, told reporters he buried the metal time capsule 32 years ago at a party. “We were just looking for a party to do, and we bought this shell of a bomb at an Army Navy store on Canal Street and 6th,” he told CBS New York. “We invited people to write cards and say hello to people in the future.” Argento said the club closed in 1986, but he always hoped to return to the site one day and retrieve the time capsule. “I was hoping the contents survived, and I want to get them back because a lot of people ask about it.” Police confirmed that the shell casing was stuffed with papers. Although it is not department protocol to return the bomb shell, Argento will likely be permitted to reclaim the contents in a few days after they have been thoroughly searched. Dateline: WashingtonA misunderstanding involving a dead raccoon ended with a man getting shot by a stranger. Mason County sheriff’s Lt. Travis Adams told Seattle’s KOMO-TV that a man was walking along a highway three miles north of tiny Allyn, Wash., dragging a dead raccoon on a rope. The man told police he found the raccoon, which had been hit by a car, earlier in the day and intended to use it as bait for some type of crab pot. The man did not want to smell the rather ripe roadkill, so he dragged it about 15 feet behind him as he walked. Some people in a white SUV spotted the man and evidently thought he was dragging a dead dog on a leash. The people pulled over and “angrily confronted the man.” At about the same time, one or more people in a black pickup drove by and also believed the man had a dead dog with him. According to police, the people in the truck joined the altercation before pulling out a gun and shooting the pedestrian twice in the leg. The occupants of the SUV and the pickup then left the scene. The pickup truck struck the pedestrian as it sped away. Deputies later tracked down the people in the white SUV, and they are reportedly cooperating with the investigation. “’I’ve been doing this for 21-plus years, and I’ve never quite heard the ‘raccoon being dragged down the road’ story before,” said Adams. “It’s a new one for all of us.” The victim is expected to recover. Police are still searching for the people in the pickup truck. Dateline: South CarolinaPolice near Myrtle Beach are looking for a man who apologized after failing to rob a convenience store. The Sun News reports that Horry County police responded on June 18 to a Circle K in Little River after an unidentified man walked in and demanded money while brandishing a knife. According to the police report, the night clerk said the man entered the store around 1am, approached the counter and demanded money. Police described the clerk as “unfazed.” He reportedly refused to hand over the money and told the robber to leave. The robber apologized, put the knife back in his pocket and left.Dateline: FloridaA couple hired to guard a tent full of fireworks told police they had no idea how the holiday explosives vanished under their watchful eye. The excuse worked—at least until deputies in Lee County spotted the couple selling some suspiciously familiar fireworks on the internet. According to WBBH-2, Michael Naple and Ashley Lyall filed a burglary report the Thursday before Independence Day at a fireworks tent located in Lehigh Acres. Naple told detectives the pair had been asked to watch the tent by an employee at the business, presumably overnight. As they were guarding the business, the couple said they “heard a noise.” They woke up and discovered that thousands of dollars worth of fireworks had been stolen. The responding deputy took the report and turned it over to investigators. Soon after detectives noticed a listing on a local buy/sell website with unique fireworks that appeared to be from the tent. Detectives arranged to meet with the sellers, who turned out to be none other than Naple and Lyall. The huge haul of fireworks was recovered from the couple’s vehicle and a nearby storage unit. Lyall was charged with grand theft and dealing in stolen property, Naple faces charges of grand theft, dealing in stolen property and filing a false statement.
Compiled by Devin D. O'Leary. Email your weird news to devin@alibi.com.
