Sheriff’s Squad Safely Disposes of Pipe Bomb Found Placed in Wall

The Orange County sheriff’s bomb squad disposed of an unexploded pipe bomb found in a wall Thursday morning, authorities said.

A pedestrian near McFadden Avenue and Alden Lane spotted the bomb inserted in the latticework of the concrete block wall and called police about 8:25 a.m., authorities said.

The bomb squad responded and removed the pipe, which was 3 1/2 inches long, three-fourths of an inch wide and capped at both ends, said Investigator Chris Weare of the Sheriff’s Department. A partially burned fuse was attached, but the smokeless powder had not ignited and there was no damage, he said.

“That’s a dangerous device, even at that size,” said Weare, who speculated that the bomb might have been left by someone who wanted to see how much damage it would cause to the wall.