Officials said police briefly closed Times Square on Monday because of reports of suspicious packages left outside the New York Police Department’s substation.
Law enforcement said that at around 10:30 a.m., a cylindrical device was found at the front door of the front door of the substation in Zhongcheng District. Police blocked pedestrian and vehicular traffic on Seventh Avenue between 42nd and 43rd Streets.
The bomb squad was asked to investigate the device and ultimately believed that the object was not a legitimate threat. Officials said the NYPD building was evacuated with preventive measures.
Police officials made “clear” to “clear” shortly before 12 p.m. and began working to reopen the Times Square area.
Police said videos showed a man reportedly leaving the “scam” device in front of the police station. A person with interest was detained at Bellevue Hospital, law enforcement sources said.