NY police investigate suspicious car with 2 gas tanks in back, close part of Union Square area
By APThursday, May 13, 2010
Suspicious vehicle spotted in NYC’s Union Square
NEW YORK — New York City police evacuated several floors of a building and several streets were blocked off near Manhattan’s Union Square after a Thursday night report of a suspicious vehicle with two gas cans found in the back seat.
The bomb squad suited up and began an investigation of the 1991 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera, which was found in front of the Con Edison utility building around 10 p.m.
Chief police spokesman Paul Browne said several floors of a high-rise residential building were evacuated and some streets in the area were blocked off as a precaution. It wasn’t immediately clear if the vehicle was a threat.
Union Square, located on Manhattan’s East Side, is a major pedestrian and tourist thoroughfare. New York University, Greenwich Village, and the landmark Flatiron building are nearby.
The city had a close call May 1 when a sport utility vehicle loaded with gasoline and propane began smoking in Times Square but did not explode. Faisal Shahzad, a Pakistani-born American citizen, was arrested and charged federally in the case.
Earlier, President Barack Obama was in New York City on Thursday at a fundraiser, and met with police officials to congratulate them on their counterterrorism efforts.
Since the May 1 attempt, there have been several reports of suspicious vehicles and packages around the city that have turned out to be false alarms.
