Photos: Times Square Evacuated for Suspicious Package

[UPDATE BELOW] After a suspicious package shut down a block of Eighth Avenue by 44th Street earlier today, another suspicious package has prompted an evacuation of Times Square (remember the last evacuation?). We turn once again to the Office of Emergency Management Twitter page, which states: "Due to police activity in the vicinity of 46th Street and Broadway(MN) expect street closures in the Times Square area." Honestly this is getting kind of repetitive, but it's worth noting if only for this great shot of an empty Times Square. (Crank up the Kid A and enjoy.) We'll update when we've got more details or heroes.

UPDATE 2:10 p.m.: An official close to the investigation tells NBC that the package "is a lunch cooler with a handle. Someone notified police about the package so they are responding as a precautionary measure. Police say the package was near the Marriott Marquis Hotel on Broadway." The NYPD gets 100 reports of suspicious packages every day.

UPDATE 2:22 p.m.: According to the Office of Emergency Management, "All police activity at 46th Street and Broadway in Manhattan has concluded. All streets in Times Square are now open." See y'all at the next suspicious package!

UPDATE 3:30 p.m.: The cooler had Poland Spring water bottles and a bag next to it had books inside it. But WHAT KIND OF BOOKS?! All we know is that NYPD spokesman Paul Browne told CBS 2: The NYPD received nearly 150 reports of suspicious packages yesterday, which is dramatically higher than the average of amount of reports for a typical day. In fact, the number of suspicious package reports has been up all week following Saturday's attempted car bombing. Because everybody wants to be the hero.

UPDATE 4:25 p.m.: A source familiar with the investigation tells Newsday that the bag was a gift bag from "The Oprah Winfrey Show." Winfrey, who will probably have her citizenship revoked any second, was filming her show at Radio City Music Hall today (she shaved Dr. Phil's beard!) and is no doubt boarding a flight to Dubai at this very moment. "This is something that happens fairly regularly," Police Commissioner Ray Kelly tells the AP. "When you have a major event, the reports of suspicious packages will go up. I think, to a certain extent, people are becoming more suspicious, more vigilant and that results in more calls."

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By John Del Signore in News on May 7, 2010 4:26 PM

Comments [rss]

dwayno

ugh, when are tourist assholes going to realize how sensitive things are here right now and not leave their shit all over the place?? god damn it

zincink

My question is.. What kind of person leaves WATER and BOOKS in a cooler...?!

inoyourider

Better to be safe than sorry.

gattopardo

Does this mean we have to endure a round of unfunny "Oprah, Al Qaida, Al Qaida, Oprah" Letterman jokes?

diablofreak

they need to go after the ignorant prick that left the box here, as well as the one that left the uhaul truck on the triboro bridge.

the manpower and time wasted on these efforts (luckily it's not a bomb, i know, but still) is too much to ignore. we can't let these irresponsible clowns off.

Stanhope Charming

Seriously? In your New York would forgetfulness be a felony or a misdemeanor? Although, it would apply only to the person who left their cooler in the pedestrian plaza - not so much the U-Haul driver (Now, where did I leave that U-Haul again?).

horseplay

Yeah! I'm just glad no tourists were hurt. This city would sink without tourists and the world would stop turning. I sure hope it doesn't happen, but if one of these things ever blew up, I hope Ny'ers are kind enough to jump in front of the tourists to shield them from the blast

Wza

Anyone get a close enough pic of Tom Cruise running through an empty Times Square?

ides_of_march

That was quick. I don't even think Bloomberg got a chance to blame it somebody opposed to Obamacare.

calmdahn

As a person who has never once littered or left my lunchbox behind where it shouldn't be, I'd just like to say that yes, I'm fine with making it a felony to leave suspicious looking packages lying around. Then again i would be happy to see cigarette smoking made a felony, so I might be the wrong person to ask.

Jen Chung

The last pictures are like Hurt Locker-lite.

TrippinJoJo

are these drills?

ysny

live from new york. still empty.

http://www.earthcam.com/usa/newyork/timessquare/?cam=lennon_hd

Christine Quinn's SIush Fund

this isnt fair. they close times square for this but leave it open when pigeons can easily be killed from being stepped on by tourists.

Thespis

I would worry about the pigeons roasting on the kabob carts, not the ones getting accidentally stepped on.

I mean, come on...that ain't chicken.

horseplay

Oh come on NY'ers lets not be selfish. We're not important, tourists lives are at stake here. If a bomb goes off and there's alot of deaths (God forbid), hopefully none of them are tourists, we sooo desperately need them in our city

bobchadwick

Any inconveniences caused by this abandoned cooler are worth it, just for those photos. Pretty cool.

horseplay

This isn't funny you know. A "tourist" could have sprained their ankle running from that cooler

Christine Quinn's SIush Fund

that's unfair to the animals would otherwise live in times square if not for the humans that hae overtaken it over the last yaer or so.