NEW DETAILS: NCIS involved in Surf City investigation

SURF CITY, NC (WWAY) — Officials with the Surf City Police Department said they have now passed the investigation into a suspicious device found in a home to the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.

Police said they were called to a home on the 1800 block North New River Drive when an employee with Century 21 found a suspicious device inside the home just before 12:30 p.m. Tuesday. The employee said the tenants had recently moved out and she was securing the home. The bomb unit with Wilmington Police assisted in the detonation of the device. The device was described as three flares with a battery pack, secured by duct tape and connected by two wires. There was also two wine bottles found with a liquid inside. Officials suspected the liquid was an accelerant, but did not test it before detonation.

Police said one of the tenants was a Marine who was not stationed in the area; with that information, officials said the NCIS is now involved. No word on charges or motive at this time.

A neighbor, Marty Martin, who lived across the street said his wife was evacuated from the home. He said he was with his wife when they heard a large boom.

“It’s kinda unusual for something like this to go,” said Martin, “It’s pretty scary really.”

Martin couldn’t go home because of the evacuation. Instead, he and his wife went to a local hangout, “Trailer Bar,” just down the road.

That is where he heard the explosion along with one of the bars employees.

“It went off and the hair stood up on my arms,” said Kathy Schmidt, a bartender, “and the customers, all of us, were like scared.”