Chunk of metal crashes through roof near N.J. man

[February 19, 2009]  JERSEY CITY, N.J. (AP) -- A note to someone in northern New Jersey: Check what you're putting through your wood chipper.

Al Smith was forklifting a sofa in his moving company's warehouse in Jersey City on Wednesday morning when he heard a sound he thought was a bomb. A chunk of hot metal the size of a brick came crashing through the roof just steps from him. It splintered a wooden beam and crashed into a shelf.

The Federal Aviation Administration looked at the object and determined it wasn't from an airplane. Mayor Jerramiah Healy said the cast iron object came from a nearby wood chipper.

Smith was not hurt but said he was shaken up. He feels so lucky it missed him that his next step was to buy a lottery ticket.

[Associated Press]

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.