JFK Airport Evacuation Over Duct-Taped Tube of Toothpaste
John F. Kennedy International Airport was briefly evacuated on Sunday after a suspicious package was reportedly left unattended.
The package was found around 4 p.m. in the baggage room area of Concourse B in Terminal 4, Chris Valens, a spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, said in a press conference.
After an initial investigation into the suspicious package, the New York Police Department bomb squad revealed that it was just a tube of toothpaste that was wrapped in duct tape. The terminal was closed for nearly 90 minutes before officials allowed the terminal to re-open.
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This was the second time a New York area airport was partially evacuated over reports of a suspicious package.
Authorities evacuated the Central Terminal at New York's LaGuardia Airport after there were several reports of a suspicious package in a shopping area within the terminal a day after the Boston Marathon bombings.
Travelers who were told to leave the terminal took photos of hundreds of people congregating outside the terminal with their luggage after the Central Terminal was evacuated.
New York City has been in a heightened alert state in the wake of the bombings that struck the Boston Marathon on Monday, killing three and injuring more than 170.
Extra police have been patrolling landmarks as well as infrastructure locations in and around New York City such as the Empire State Building and World Trade Center site, but officials say there have been no reports of any specific threats or suspicious activity.
Two large explosions hit the 2013 Boston Marathon that left three dead and more than 170 injured and captivated the country as law enforcement officials locked down the city has they tracked down those behind the bombings.
The devastating scenes showed injured people being carried away from the scene of the explosions, which took place near the finish line of the Boston Marathon route.
