Police Swarm N.J. Side Of Lincoln Tunnel After Threat Claiming Sniper On Building
WEEHAWKEN, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- Traffic was snagged and commuters were terrified on the New Jersey side of the Lincoln Tunnel Tuesday evening, after someone called in a threat to police.
A Port Authority of New York and New Jersey representative told CBS 2 that around 5:15 p.m., Weehawken police received a 911 call from someone claiming there was a sniper on top of the Dykes Lumber Building, at 1899 Park Ave. in Weehawken.
The building overlooks the Lincoln Tunnel.
Weehawken police called Port Authority officials, and New Jersey State Police did a helicopter flyover but did not see anything suspicious, a Port Authority representative said.
As CBS 2's Tracee Carrasco reported, officers also carried rifles on the ground as they searched the streets looking for the possible sniper.
The massive police response shut down 19th Street between Willow and Park avenues in Weehawken, not far from Lincoln Tunnel.
Police also ordered passengers off a Hudson-Bergen NJ TRANSIT Light Rail train near the Lincoln Harbor station just after 7 p.m.
Some passengers were visibly upset by the whole ordeal, while others had no idea what was happening when those heavily armed officers boarded the train.
"As soon as we saw all the commotion, we realized there was something going on in the back car. We saw people's hands up. We thought maybe there was a stick-up. We didn't really know what was going on," said Daniel Nussbaum of Teaneck, New Jersey.
"I saw a lot of people coming out from the tunnel -- the police, the ambulance," nearby resident Sophia told 1010 WINS' Gary Baumgarten.
Sophia said she and he son started to move closer toward the action until police officers told her there may be a man with a gun. She said they then turned back and went inside their home.
Major delays were also reported in nearby Hoboken, and in the Lincoln Tunnel itself. NJ TRANSIT buses stopped running, and passengers on board were told to find another way home.
Many started walking, still unsure if they were in any danger.
Shawna Gallagher Vega was on her way to Hoboken at the time of the police activity.
"I did see an Army vehicle going by, and you know, there were a lot of helicopters," Vega said.
At one point, a man seen in a black shirt was led off the train in restraints. He was detained for a short time, questioned by police and then let go.
As of late Tuesday night, the threat was still under investigation, and no one had been arrested.
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