text: Beachcomber finds piece that could be TWA part . ATLANTIC HIGHLANDS , N.J. 1996-08-28 A foot-long piece of debris bearing markings from a commercial aircraft was found on the New Jersey shore and forwarded to TWA crash investigators in Long Island , officials said on Wednesday . A person walking on the shore at Island Beach State Park found the debris and alerted police who forwarded it to Long Island , New York , where the National Transportation Safety Board and the FBI are conducting an investigation . The TWA jet exploded in a deadly fireball last month , killing 230 people , crashing in the Atlantic Ocean at least 80 miles from where the debris was found Wednesday . Several other items have been reported found along the New Jersey shore , most of it such personal items as wallets , shoes and jewelry . Investigators said they still do not have enough evidence to determine whether a bomb , a missile or mechanical failure caused the crash .