Wayward projectile from army base hits girl's room

Military officials are investigating how a piece of metal flew a mile off course from the Picattiny Arsenal into a girl's bedroom. A nearly 2 pound fragment fell through the ceiling of Cheryl Angle's

News 12 Staff

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Apr 13, 2008, 3:11 AM

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Updated 6,298 days ago

Military officials are investigating how a piece of metal flew a mile off course from the Picattiny Arsenal into a girl's bedroom.

A nearly 2 pound fragment fell through the ceiling of Cheryl Angle's home and into her daughter's room. The girl was not home at the time of the incident.

"If she was here, it would have landed on her," says Angle. "We just thank God she's here with us today."

The projectile was apparently the result of a training exercise at the base. Military officials say strict safety standards are in place at the base and call the incident an anomaly.

A special officer from the Pentagon is assisting in the investigation. No weapons will be tested outdoors until the probe is finished.

"The army will figure out what happened here, and we will fix it," says Brig. Gen. Bill Phillips, the base's commander.

The fragment did injure the family's 14-year-old cat, which was on the girl's bed at the time. The cat was euthanized as a result.