PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Officials in Philadelphia say a major crisis may have been averted after a sanitation worker discovered a grenade inside a trash truck.

On Friday morning at approximately 9 a.m., sanitation crew worker Kenneth Clea discovered an unusual object in the rear of the sanitation truck that he and fellow crew members Derrick Erwin and Mike Clifton were collecting trash in on the 2000 block of South Frazer Street.

The truck was immediately driven to the end of the block, where the crew notified police.

When police arrived on scene, the area was taped off and the Bomb Squad called in to investigate.

Officials continue to investigate the origins of the device, but they say the swift and vigilant actions of the crew members may have helped avoid a dangerous situation.