SUNBURY — Moments after Heath Young joked about unearthing bones while installing a new water line behind Pop Snyder’s Lunch on Tuesday, he did just that.

Young was operating a backhoe behind the Market Street diner at about noon when he noticed a 12-inch long bone jutting out of a pile of dirt.

“The bone was sticking straight up out of the bucket,” said plumber Rick Sinko, who was hired to install a water line at the site. “It kind of looked like an arm bone.”

Two other smaller bones were found in the dirt as well.

Accustomed to finding easily identifiable bones such as those from chickens or turkeys, Sinko said he couldn’t figure out what type of bone Young had unearthed so he called Sunbury police.

Officer Wade Lytle shut down the work site to await Northumberland County District Attorney Anthony Rosini, Coroner James F. Kelley and the forensic team from state police at Montoursville.

The crew found a total of three bones, all of which were taken by Kelley to Evangelical Community Hospital, Lewisburg.

About two hours later, Sinko was informed the bones were from an unknown animal.

“I’d like to know what kind of animal it was,” he said.

Kelley could not be reached for comment Tuesday afternoon.

Shortly before the bones turned up in his backhoe bucket, Young joked to Sinko about all the things he’d uncovered on job sites.

“One of these days, we’ll find a bone,” he recalled saying.

Said Sinko, “It was weird.”