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Contractor finds WWII grenade hidden behind wall while remodeling bathroom in Seattle
A contractor recently came across a historic discovery as he was renovating a client’s bathroom in Seattle, Washington.
Vadim Kharkhavyy, who works with Polar Bear Construction, was ripping out a bathtub when he saw a grenade “between the studs,” KIRO 7 News reported on Wednesday.
“My first thought was to get out of there,” Kharkavyy told the station.
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“I rushed out of there, took a breath and actually went back in and recorded the situation,” he said.
“I zoomed in on my phone and took a closer peek. I’m like, that’s an actual freaking grenade.”
Police said the grenade found behind a wall in Washington state (not pictured) was not live — and it’s likely a WWII-era device. (iStock)
Kharkavyy said he’s been working in the construction business for 10 years and will sometimes find things inside the walls and under floors, such as dated magazines or newspapers.
When he realized this item was an explosive — things got serious.
“I got a little bit frightened and put the tub down and ran out of the room, and just gave it about five minutes just in case,” Kharkavyy told Professional Remodel, a trade publication and website reporting on information associated with residential, commercial and general remodeling contractors.
“I didn’t know if I set something off.”
“Even if you open that compartment, you still would not know it’s there.”
Seattle Police and the bomb squad were called to the scene, and it was determined that the device was not a live grenade.
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The grenade was hidden in the wall through a compartment that a person could access underneath the bathtub and through a closet — which was on the opposite side of the bathroom wall, Professional Remodel reported.
“Even if you open that compartment, you still would not know it’s there,” Kharkavyy told the site.
“You wouldn’t even have known if you put your head in there because everything is so tight with all the electrical and plumbing in the way.”
“So, somebody had to know, you know, that it was there because of the way they reached in.”
A public information officer (PIO) with the Seattle Police Department (not pictured) said it’s not known how or who placed the grenade in the location where it was found. (iStock)
Kharkavyy said he lost three hours of work after he found the hidden grenade, but that he would not have risked losing his life, KIRO 7 reported.
“Whether it’s a bomb, whether it’s a grenade — it’s an explosive. I have kids and a wife at home, so I’d rather play it safe than sorry,” he told the station.
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Kharkavyy also told KIRO 7 that investigators with the Seattle Police told him WWII veterans brought weapons with them as they returned home from combat — and someone may have “stored it there and possibly forgot about it.”
Seattle Police Arson Bomb Squad (ABS) were unavailable to offer comment to Fox News Digital as of publication.
A contractor with Polar Bear Construction in the Seattle area was ripping out a bathtub when he noticed a grenade (not pictured) hidden in the wall, according to several news reports. (iStock)
A public information officer (PIO) with the department said it’s not known how or who placed the grenade in the location where it was found.
The PIO also sent a link directing Fox News Digital to the ATF website, where the following is stated: “Unloaded or dummy grenades, artillery shell casings, and similar devices, which are cut or drilled in an ATF-approved manner so that they cannot be used as ammunition components for destructive devices, are not considered NFA weapons.”
On Dec. 31, 2023, a grenade was found inside the walls of a home during a renovation project in a Dallas-area town, Fox News Digital previously reported. (White Settlement Police Department)
This isn’t the only recent incident where a grenade was found during a home renovation.
In Texas on Dec. 31, 2023, officers with the White Settlement Police Department responded to a call after a new homeowner found what appeared to be a military-style hand grenade.
A contractor in Washington came across a hidden grenade during a job while demolishing a bathroom in a Seattle-area client’s home. Police reportedly told him the device may be from the WWII era. (iStock)
People at the property and nearby residents were evacuated as the Fort Worth Fire Department Arson and Bomb investigations team arrived at the scene and determined that the grenade did not contain any explosive material, Fox News Digital reported earlier this month.
Fox News Digital reached out to Polar Bear Construction for comment.
Fox News Digital’s Stepheny Price contributed to this report.
For more Lifestyle articles, visit www.foxnews.com/lifestyle.
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FBI raid involving LA schools superintendent possibly tied to failed $6M AI deal, potential conflict
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The federal investigation into the Los Angeles Unified School District superintendent, whose home and school office were raided Wednesday, may be tied to a failed multimillion-dollar AI school contract involving a potential conflict of interest.
Alberto Carvalho previously awarded a $6 million contract, paying $3 million up front, to education technology company AllHere.
A former salesperson employed by the firm also had her Miami property raided the same day as Carvalho, according to public records cited by the Los Angeles Times. The woman, Debra Kerr, reportedly had close ties to Carvalho during his tenure leading Miami-Dade County Public Schools.
Spokesperson Jim Marshall confirmed to local media Miami Herald that “we searched a residence in Southwest Ranches today as part of this matter and have since cleared the scene.”
Superintendent Alberto Carvalho speaks during an event at the LAUSD headquarters in downtown Los Angeles on October 30, 2025. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
In 2023, Carvalho secured a contract with AllHere to develop an AI chatbot called “Ed,” designed to help address student issues such as absenteeism.
It ultimately collapsed in 2024 after its founder, Joanna Smith-Griffi, was accused of embezzling funds amid data privacy risks and whistleblower concerns. She was later charged with securities fraud, wire fraud and identity theft.
Kerr further claimed in AllHere’s bankruptcy court filings that the company owed her commissions for helping secure its deal with LAUSD, according to education-focused outlet The 74.
While federal officials confirmed that search warrants were conducted Wednesday, they declined to reveal the nature of the investigation, noting that the warrants remain under seal.
Federal officials appear to carry cardboard outside a home in California. (KTTV)
However, sources told the LA Times that the investigation fell under the broad category of financial issues, and that the raid focused on Carvalho rather than the California school district.
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LAUSD released a statement saying the district is fully cooperating with federal officials.
“The LAUSD Board of Education understands that today’s news has raised questions across our school communities,” it said.
“The Board’s priority remains ensuring that our students, families, and employees experience a safe and welcoming learning environment. Teaching and learning continue across our schools. Los Angeles Unified continues to stay focused on our responsibility to serve students and our families.”
The superintendent has led the nation’s second-largest school district since 2022, overseeing the education of roughly 400,000 students. He was also unanimously reappointed to the position in September 2025.
Before moving to California, he spent 14 years leading Miami‑Dade County Public Schools, the nation’s fourth-largest school district.
The home of Alberto Carvalho, the superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District, is located in San Pedro, California. (KTTV)
Wednesday’s raids mark the latest controversy to engulf Carvalho.
In 2020, he helped secure a $1.57 million donation from a company that had a pending contract with the district, the Miami Herald reported.
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FBI agents appear to conduct a search warrant at a San Pedro home connected to Alberto Carvalho. (KTTV)
The funds reportedly went to an education nonprofit he founded, and the company’s online learning program, which was ultimately plagued with problems, was quickly scrapped.
In June 2021, the school’s inspector general determined that the donation, intended to benefit teachers, did not violate any policies but created the “appearance of impropriety,” the outlet said. The foundation was subsequently urged to return the funds, which reportedly had been distributed to teachers as $100 gift certificates.
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