White Powder That Briefly Shut NYC Bus Terminal Deemed Non-Toxic

(Bloomberg) -- Commuters at New York's Port Authority Bus Terminal had a brief scare Wednesday morning after a white powder led police to briefly close a main entrance.

Authorities shut the 8th Avenue entrance to the world's busiest bus depot shortly before 10 a.m. as police examined the “suspicious” substance that was dropped in the terminal's South Wing. The material, which looked like flour, was a nontoxic cleaning agent, according to Sergeant Lee Jones, a spokesman for the New York Police Department.

Police and National Guard troops put up tape barring hundreds of rush-hour commuters from exiting the terminal at 8th Avenue, directing them to 9th Avenue and shouting for people to get out of the area. The entrance was reopened as of 10:23 a.m.

To contact the reporter on this story: Henry Goldman in New York at hgoldman@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Flynn McRoberts at fmcroberts1@bloomberg.net, Stacie Sherman

©2018 Bloomberg L.P.

Unlock this article for free
Sign up to access exclusive stories, fewer ads, and a personalised experience.
Set as Trusted Source
on Google Search
Add NDTV Profit As Google Preferred Source