A person of interest has been taken into custody, after a suspicious package was found outside a New York City police precinct and sparked a massive evacuation of Times Square Monday morning.
Tourists sightseeing and locals commuting to work were left unable to bypass the busy Midtown Manhattan artery for about an hour after the package was found, though police later said it had been deemed “non-hazardous.”
Sources told CBS New York said that the individual was seen intentionally placing the package in front of the precinct at West 43rd Street and 7th Avenue.
The NYPD said it received a 911 call reporting the findings around 10:30 a.m.
The area was promptly evacuated, and the bustling 42nd Street subway station came to a standstill as authorities investigated, according to the New York Post. Officials have not yet shared any information about the package.
The Emergency Service Unit and bomb squad responded to the scene, and by 11:53 a.m., the package was deemed non-hazardous, the NYPD said.
The streets near West 43rd and 7th Avenue that were shut down while authorities investigated have since reopened, allowing crowds of tourists and vehicles to re-enter the area.
Even after the package was deemed non-hazardous, police barricades blocked off the front of the Midtown precinct.
A tourist from Madrid said the incident should prompt New York City officials to make some much-needed safety improvements.
“I think it’s important for the city that security measures improve day by day,” they said.
Meanwhile, native New Yorkers seemed unfazed by the situation.
A city worker near the scene told The Independent: “Same old, same old.”
Matteo J., a 28-year-old living in Brooklyn, noted: “There’s always crazy things happening in the city.”
"I think it's very obviously, very intentional to leave it in front of the police department just to get attention, maybe grab people's eyes towards whatever it is. I don't know if we'll find out what it is,” he added.
He continued: "We live in an attention economy, so I think people are finding out ways how to really get numbers on whatever they want the world to see."
Despite earlier police cordons in the area, tourists and other workers had already begun to flood back into the square and surrounding area.
“You know, people move move on fast in the city, though, nobody even thinks twice about anything once they hear it, they just move on with it," Matteo added.
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