Mystery Box Brings Bomb Squad to Firehouse On Eve of 9/11

There was cause for alarm (literally and figuratively) today, around 4 p.m., when we received a report that a firehouse on Second Street between Avenues B and C was dealing with a bomb threat. After all, tomorrow is the anniversary of 9/11. Turns out, it was just the work of a 34-year-old local man whom police know to be emotionally unstable. The man dropped off a suspicious looking suitcase with wires hanging out of it in front of the firehouse just before 2 p.m., according to an NYPD spokesperson.
The spokesperson said the package was actually filled with ultra-violet light and wires; weird, for sure, but not exactly life-threatening. A firefighter at Engine 28 and Ladder 11 just after the scene had cleared said it was exciting, though — the package was moved to another location down the street, and NYPD’s bomb squad used a bomb-defusing robot to make sure the package was safe before taking the disturbed man into custody.
It’s the type of event that the fire and police department now reacts to with a heightened sense of awareness, given that tomorrow is September 11. “What might have been a typical emergency prior to 9/11 are not now because they may be in transit hubs or municipal buildings,” said Jim Long, spokesperson for the FDNY. “We have specific protocol now. You have to be aware of what you’re going into.”
Six members of Engine 28 and Ladder 11 died at the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001 – five firefighters and one lieutenant.