Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Photos: Times Square Evacuated for Suspicious Package
By
John Del Signore
Published May 7, 2010
Modified May 7, 2010
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Gothamist
View all 7
By
John Del Signore
Published May 7, 2010
Modified May 7, 2010
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
[UPDATE BELOW] After a suspicious package shut down a block of Eighth Avenue by 44th Street earlier today, another suspicious package has prompted an evacuation of Times Square (remember the last evacuation?). We turn once again to the Office of Emergency Management Twitter page, which states: "Due to police activity in the vicinity of 46th Street and Broadway(MN) expect street closures in the Times Square area." Honestly this is getting kind of repetitive, but it's worth noting if only for this great shot of an empty Times Square. (Crank up the Kid A and enjoy.) We'll update when we've got more details or heroes.
UPDATE 2:10 p.m.: An official close to the investigation tells NBC that the package "is a lunch cooler with a handle. Someone notified police about the package so they are responding as a precautionary measure. Police say the package was near the Marriott Marquis Hotel on Broadway." The NYPD gets 100 reports of suspicious packages every day.
UPDATE 2:22 p.m.: According to the Office of Emergency Management, "All police activity at 46th Street and Broadway in Manhattan has concluded. All streets in Times Square are now open." See y'all at the next suspicious package!
UPDATE 3:30 p.m.: The cooler had Poland Spring water bottles and a bag next to it had books inside it. But WHAT KIND OF BOOKS?! All we know is that NYPD spokesman Paul Browne told CBS 2: The NYPD received nearly 150 reports of suspicious packages yesterday, which is dramatically higher than the average of amount of reports for a typical day. In fact, the number of suspicious package reports has been up all week following Saturday's attempted car bombing. Because everybody wants to be the hero.
UPDATE 4:25 p.m.: A source familiar with the investigation tells Newsday that the bag was a gift bag from "The Oprah Winfrey Show." Winfrey, who will probably have her citizenship revoked any second, was filming her show at Radio City Music Hall today (she shaved Dr. Phil's beard!) and is no doubt boarding a flight to Dubai at this very moment. "This is something that happens fairly regularly," Police Commissioner Ray Kelly tells the AP. "When you have a major event, the reports of suspicious packages will go up. I think, to a certain extent, people are becoming more suspicious, more vigilant and that results in more calls."
Tagged
evacuation
nypd
suspcious package
Times Square
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Central Park birders, others remember 63-year-old woman killed in park
The NYPD has not publicly identified her. People who knew her said she was an artist and a familiar presence in the Ramble.
By
Charles Lane
Published Sep 28, 2026 at 7:04 p.m. ET
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
News
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
New ingredient mandated for Latin American kitchen, restaurant plates in NJ
By
Arya Sundaram
A Brooklyn jail cell filled with smoke. The emergency button failed, a lawyer said.
By
Samantha Max
Crews launch tunnel machines to dig first new Hudson River rail tunnels since 1910
By
Michael Sol Warren
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .