Police responded after a woman at the Howard Beach Post Office claimed to have a bomb. Forum Newsgroup photo by Patricia Adams.
Havoc broke out at a Howard Beach Post Office on Tuesday after- noon around 1 p.m. after a customer on line to mail a package said the parcel contained a bomb. Postal officials and NYPD im- mediately closed the facility down sending customers and employees onto the street.
Authorities said the incident started when a postal worker weigh- ing the package checked with the customer as to whether the box contained any perishables or liquids. The customer allegedly answered by saying, “no, it’s just a bomb.”
The Post Office remained closed for about twenty minutes, with patrons having to endure the heat of the afternoon while waiting on Cross Bay Boulevard for the facility to open its doors.
One witness from inside the post office said he heard the woman tell authorities she didn’t mean anything by it—she was just being a wise mouth.
The unidentified woman was questioned by NYPD and by Postal Police and was released in less than an hour.
By Patricia Adams
