Times Square experienced a bomb scare Saturday night after a T-shirt vendor noticed smoke coming from an SUV parked on 45th St. and Broadway in New York City. After alerting local law enforcement officer, Wayne Rhatigan, he and two new female police officers expedited the evacuation of hundreds of people from the scene while calling for backup.
Once the bomb squad arrived, it played like the Academy award-winning Hurt Locker movie, with bomb technicians in full gear and robots approaching the abandoned Nissan SUV. According to the police, the vehicle was chocked full of propane, gasoline, a clock, electrical parts, and gunpowder. Said a source in law enforcement, “It looks as if the perp was trying to light it up, and was interrupted by the cops, panicked and took off.”
In a press conference on Sunday, Mayor Bloomberg praised local law enforcement for their role in preventing a crisis. “Thanks to alert New Yorkers and professional police officers we avoided what could have been a very deadly event.” White House officials reported President Obama commended the “excellent work by the NYPD.”
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