A member of the bomb squad prepares to board the bus to determine the risk posed by an unattended package left aboard the Q-52 bus traveling southbound on Cross Bay Boulevard.
A suspicious package on the Q 52 bus shut down the southbound lanes of Cross Bay Boulevard at liberty Avenue on Friday around noon. Police locked down the street after bus driver Ervberro Tejada reported his discovery of a small, unattended suitcase on the bus her was operating.
Officers from the 106 responded to the call initially and immediately secured a perimeter around the bus while they waited for Emergency Services Units (ESU) to arrive. After ESU arrived at the scene the perimeter was extended and the bomb squad was called in.
The unattended package on the bus was examined by the bomb squad and determined to contain some personal items, including a hairbrush and some clothing. The package was removed and the boulevard reopened to traffic.
Busses were temporarily rerouted during the investigation and no one was hurt.
Police and ESU secured a perimeter around the bus stopping all vehicular and pedestrian traffic for several hours. A mobile command center was set up under the elevated tracks on Liberty Avenue at Cross Bay Boulevard.
