Statue of Liberty Evacuated Following Bomb Threat
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Getty Images(NEW YORK) — The Statue of Liberty was evacuated Friday after a caller made a threat stating that “they were going to blow up” the landmark, authorities said.
The National Park Service, which operates the landmark and island in New York City, said the call came in at 11 a.m. and everyone was “immediately evacuated and all personnel and visitors are safe.”
In a statement, the federal agency said, “United States Park Police personnel including two canine units swept the Statue. The canine units alerted on an area of interest near the lockers at the base of the statue. At this point … it was in best to evacuate the island. The island has been cleared of all visitors and personnel.”
The NYPD Bomb Squad was investigating what was believed to be a suspicious package indicated by a K-9 unit in a visitor’s locker, police sources said.
Police said the locker was inspected and found empty.
The four-hour closure also kept ferries from New York City and New Jersey from docking.
The evacuation and subsequent suspension in ferry service resulted in a backlog that forced the island to effectively close for most of the afternoon.
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