A grandfather and his grandchildren pulled a water-damaged handgun from Grenloch Lake in New Jersey while magnet fishing, prompting an investigation by Washington Township Police.
Officers were called to the lake, beside the Black Horse Pike in Gloucester County, on Monday, October 12, after the firearm was reported. The people who found it contacted police immediately, and the weapon was taken into evidence. ([nbcphiladelphia.com](https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/handgun-grenloch-lake-gloucester-county-new-jersey-police-investigation/4479366/?utm_source=openai))
Police identified the firearm as a Walther PPS semi-automatic handgun. It showed signs of prolonged exposure to the water, and detectives are attempting to recover and verify its serial number before tracing its history.
Investigators are also trying to establish how the gun came to be in the lake and whether it may be linked to a previous crime. The Washington Township Police Department said in a statement that “handguns don’t typically find their way to the bottom of a lake on their own”. ([nbcphiladelphia.com](https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/handgun-grenloch-lake-gloucester-county-new-jersey-police-investigation/4479366/?utm_source=openai))
Chief Patrick Gurcsik said discoveries of this kind were extremely unusual, recalling only one other suspected firearm find during his 35 years with the department.
Anyone with information about the handgun or how it entered Grenloch Lake has been asked to contact the Washington Township Police Detective Bureau on 856-589-0330. ([nbcphiladelphia.com](https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/handgun-grenloch-lake-gloucester-county-new-jersey-police-investigation/4479366/?utm_source=openai))
