Yesterday morning police evacuated 2 World Financial Center after workers in the mailroom spotted a "grenade" inside a UPS package. The bomb squad was called to the scene, and after further investigation it was determined that the grenade was actually a novelty item affixed to a wooden plaque with a sign that read: "Complaint Department. Please Take a Number." The gag, as you can see, is that the number is attached to the grenade pin, thus making complaining comically "fatal." more ›

A tower at the World Financial Center has been evacuated due to a suspicious package, which employees in the mail room say appears to be a grenade. The NYPD tells us 2 World Financial Center has been evacuated, the ESU and bomb squad are at the scene, and additional officers have been called in for crowd control. We'll update as we know more, but if you want a bird's eye view, Fox 5 is doing a live video feed. (So far it's not very interesting, and let's hope it stays that way!) more ›

The MTA wants everyone to "See Something, Say Something" forever, and people are doing just that. Last night, Long Island Rail Road service between Huntington and Hicksville on the Port Jefferson line was suspended, thanks to some white coolers. more ›

Port Authority police supervisor Lt. James O'Neill reportedly ordered a PATH train with a suspicious package proceed from Jersey City to the World Trade Center, even though a bomb-sniffing K9 unit was just minutes away from the station. In an exclusive, the Post reports that passengers were evacuated from the train at Exchange Place just before 8 p.m. on Wednesday after a "suspicious box" was spotted. But despite protestations from subordinates, O'Neill reportedly cleared the train for departure before the bomb squad arrived—and sources say he made the call from his desk at Journal Square, three miles from the bomb scare. more ›

If you see a bunch of people standing around without coats near 46th Street and 6th Avenue, here's why. One person wrote on Facebook, "Someone sent a bomb to my office. They evacuated the building," and wire reports say, "confirmed device found at the Bank Hapoalim. Evacuations conducted on floors 9-14, FD & EMS are staging. Bomb Squad enroute." Bank Hapoalim is Israel's largest bank. Let's just hope it's more books. [UPDATE] NYPD bomb squad has "properly ID'd" the suspicious package, though the NYPD couldn't tell us what it was. However, one employee writes on Facebook, "Aparantly bomb sniffing dogs aren't fool-proof. False alarm. Shut down, freaked out, and freezing over a musical greeting card." An FDNY officer says the card had a "suspicious label." Occupants are being allowed to re-enter the building. more ›

Newark Liberty International's Terminal A is shut down now as authorities inspect a possible explosive. According to ABC News, "The possible device was discovered behind a counter, officials from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey told ABC News. Employees alerted Transportation Security Administration Bomb Appraisal Officers, who began their investigation." Vehicular traffic was halted before 8 a.m. and the bomb squad is investigating. Update: Now it turns out the package was just a computer monitor. The terminal has reopened. more ›

Last night, the DHL cargo facility at JFK Airport was evacuated due to a suspicious package. The package, which had a cellphone and paperwork, was ultimately deemed safe, but the episode signaled how worried authorities are in the wake of last week's mail bombs, which were sent from Yemen and intercepted in the U.K. and Dubai. Now, France's interior minister claims one of the bombs was defused 17 minutes before it was set to explode. more ›

The Transportation Security Administration is investigating reports of suspicious packages on UPS planes in Newark and Philadelphia. And now the NYPD bomb squad is investigating a UPS truck in downtown Brooklyn! Update: The packages have been cleared, but now officials think this might have been part of a dry run for a bomb-by-mail plot (more info below). more ›

[UPDATE BELOW] Today's (first?) bomb squad investigation is currently underway at Eighth Avenue and 43rd Street. Notify NYC just announced that the avenue is currently shut down between West 42nd Street and West 44th Street. According to reports coming in over the wires, a bomb squad is responding to a suspicious vehicle. Another wire report says a "black male was seen running from the vehicle on foot." And the FDNY and EMS have been requested to the "frozen zone." It's a busy time for these guys; just yesterday they were down on Barclay Street investigating another suspicious vehicle, which turned out to be harmless. UPDATE: The bomb squad has identified the vehicle and the contents as harmless. Perhaps we'll never know why the black man was running, or where to. more ›

Someone wondered on Twitter, "Brooklyn Bridge closed to pedestrian and cycle traffic; cops refuse to say why. Why?" Well, it's also closed to vehicular traffic in both directions—apparently there are two suspicious packages, one in each direction! You can send us photos and tips at tips@gothamist.com. UPDATE 10:55 a.m.: Now the bridge is reopened—the suspicious packages were...flashlights from a leukemia walk. more ›

The NYPD shut down West 34th Street between 7th and 8th Avenues to investigate a suspicious package. Reader Brian James sent these photographs and tells us the package turned out to be harmless—it was an empty suitcase! more ›

Move over, suffering LIRR riders: The Metro-North's Hudson Line is suspended now! The Journal News reports, "A suspicious package left on the train tracks in Irvington this morning has suspended all Hudson Line service temporarily and prompted evacuation of some businesses in downtown Irvington. Metro-North spokesman Dan Brucker said Irvington police asked for a halt in service while they checked out the item." more ›

Well, when they are in a "red suitcase hidden in the rear of a park where both pro-government and anti-war rallies are regularly held," they are! Rockland police blew up the suitcase, found in Nanuet, because, the Journal News reports an X-ray "revealed three cylindrical canisters and something that looked like tools and wires." But it turned out to be two cans of tuna fish and one can of corn—the tools were pliers and a manual can opener. A police officer said, "More than likely, some homeless guy lost his dinner." Better safe than sorry, right? more ›

The NYPD has closed down 9th Avenue between 34th and 33rd Streets, due to a suspicious package. A reader sent us a photograph of the package in question—numerous bags under a bus stop bench. Ever since the attempted car bombing in Times Square on May 1, there have been numerous calls about suspicious packages (street vendors were credited with tipping off cops in the May 1 incident). more ›

On our way into the office this morning we came across this interesting scene on the corner of Jay and Front Streets. As you can see, police tape marked off a section of the sidewalk, where a bag stuffed with clothes (dirty undies? the whites?) sat by an open window at Egg Baby, the children's clothing store. Two NYPD officers were sitting there inside a squad car, and the cop on the passenger side very begrudgingly cracked open his door when we approached to make an inquiry. "Some guy got shot. He's dead," we were told. more ›

NYC's new threat: suspicious packages that don't actually have anything inside that goes boom. According to the FBI, somebody on a "known jihadi web site" is calling for a wave of harmless suspicious packages to bring the city to a standstill. It's actually a brilliant strategy, because if there's one thing New Yorkers hate more than random explosions, it's being inconvenienced. more ›

Last night, the NYPD and FDNY responded to a call about a "suspicious vehicle" parked outside the Con Edison building on Irving Place between 14th and 15th Streets, a block east of Union Square. The 1991 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera had some gas containers in the back seat. After closing down some streets, partially evacuating a building and having the bomb squad inspect the car, it was determined that the vehicle was not a threat. Oh, and talking to the car's owner helped, too. more ›

[UPDATE BELOW] Not to be outdone by fancy Manhattan's recent spate of suspicious package panics, such as the paper bag/brown box incident of last night, Queens is currently playing host to the bomb scare o' the day. According to reports over the wires, a bomb squad has been called to the scene of 155-06 Roosevelt Avenue in Flushing because of "a suspicious green suitcase." Apparently, it's outside a library, which terrorists hate because of our freedom to check out books, rent DVDs, browse the internet, and take naps free of charge. more ›

Just after 9 p.m. tonight, the NYPD learned of a suspicious package at Broadway and West 47th Street but by 10 p.m., the item was properly ID'd. The NY Post reports it "was found to be just garbage, New York Police Department said. Police evacuated several blocks of midtown so the bomb squad could investigate a paper bag on top of a brown box near the Morgan Stanley building located at West 48th Street and Broadway. The package was found to be non-suspicious." The NYPD said that in the wake of the Times Square car bomb, it expected to have a spike in calls about suspicious packages (like the ham sandwich and the water cooler and books). more ›

After yesterday's two suspicious package reports shut down a block and then a huge swath of Times Square, people had mixed reactions to the disruptions. One person told WCBS 2, "Anything for safety," while a tourist from Atlanta said, "It's disturbing that anything suspicious can cause an interruption and excitement and everything on Broadway." But people really do see something legitimately suspicious! more ›

According to the Office of Emergency Management, 8th Avenue is closed between West 44th and West 45th Street in Manhattan because of police activity. We'll update with more details as they come come in, but according to one report over the wires, it's a "suspicious package." UPDATE: The Office of Emergency Management says, "police activity has concluded on 8th Ave. between West 44th and West 45th Street. 8th Ave. is now open." Sorry, no heroes today. As you were. more ›

We've received multiple reports that the Port Authority Bus Terminal is currently "on lock down" because of a suspicious package. A reader tells us there are "cops with M4s, and people being evacuated." Another reports "limited access from the subway level." We'll keep you posted as the situation develops. Update: The emergency response team is "already out of the area," according to one witness. more ›

The Wall Street Journal reports that it "received more than a dozen envelopes containing an unknown white powder, and New York City police and hazardous materials crews are investigating the matter." Apparently one floor of the offices (located at the World Financial Center) was evacuated—the Daily Intel suggests it could be the one where Rupert Murdoch's office is located. Last fall, an envelope with a suspicious white powder was sent to the NY Times and another was sent to Reuters. Update: We're hearing there's now a "full hazmat response" at the WSJ offices and decontamination is being set up for people exposed on floors 9 through 11. more ›

A little before noon, the police were called to investigate a "suspicious package" at the NY Times Building. Apparently a letter contained a white granular substance, and the lobby was closed as a precaution. CityRoom explains that a letter had been sent to Andrew Rosenthal, the Times' editorial page editor: "The 13th floor, where the envelope was opened, was evacuated for several hours, but around 2:15 p.m. employees on that floor were permitted to return to their offices... Mr. Rosenthal’s executive secretary opened the envelope, and she and two other Times employees, including a mailroom worker, were being decontaminated as a precaution. more ›

Last Friday afternoon-into-evening, commuters leaving NYC through the Lincoln Tunnel were treated to hours of delays, because a suspicious package was left on I-495 West. It turned out to be two bottles filled with an ultimately harmless liquid, but the damage was done: Traffic was diverted to local roads in NJ, commuter bus passengers were hating their devotion to mass transit, and there were still hours of residual delays. more ›

The race to get out of NYC through the Lincoln Tunnel was painful yesterday afternoon into evening as authorities investigated a suspicious package on I-495 West. MyFoxNY reports that the section right have the Weehawken exit was shut down between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. And after it was cleared up, there was another hour or two of residual delays! more ›

If you’ve ever watched acting so bad it made you want to shove the performer offstage and play the role yourself, Suspicious Package is for you. The creators of this clever little production have spared themselves the headache of dealing with actors by casting the audience and turning them loose on the streets of Williamsburg. It happens for just four people at a time, and when you buy your ticket online you cast yourself in one of the roles, choosing either the producer, the showgirl, the heiress, or the private detective. more ›