Police Give All Clear After Queens Place Mall Evacuated Due To 'Hoax Device'
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Police are looking for the person who abandoned a vehicle at the Queens Place Mall on Monday morning with what turned out to be a fake bomb inside.
The entire area was evacuated for hours, as people feared the worst, CBS2's Lisa Rozner reported.
Firefighters and the NYPD took no chances when a 911 call came in around 7:40 a.m. about a suspicious abandoned vehicle on the parking deck next to the mall in Elmhurst.
"They said there were propane tanks and wires protruding from the vehicle," said NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence and Counterterrorism John Miller.
Minhaj Choudhury lives across the street and was told to leave.
"We have about 200 units in our building and so everyone was running out at the same time," Choudhury said. "It's really scary after what happened in Nashville."
MORE: Nashville Bombing Suspect's Remains Found At Scene Of The Blast, FBI Confirms
The NYPD Bomb Squad found the "hoax device" with a paper "Black Lives Matter" sign attached to it. Sources said found inside the Tesla with out of state plates was something built intentionally to appear as if it was a bomb to elicit an immediate police response.
"It looks a little jenky, not gonna lie. Like someone made it in their basement or something, but that's still scary someone had the time and patience to do that and scare everyone," said Monique Wright of Forest Hills.
In a bizarre twist, a dog was also found inside the vehicle. The husky was slightly dehydrated and taken to the ASPCA. Authorities said they are also seeing if it has a microchip to track down its owner.
Sources said the car had been reported stolen in Nevada, and authorities towed it away for further investigation.
Police said they are checking cameras in the area to see if they can pinpoint when the vehicle arrived at the garage and to identify the driver.
Even though no explosives were found, charges can be filed for making a terroristic threat.
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