Time Square Evacuated for Second Time in a Week

On May 01, 2010 Times Square in New York, N.Y. was evacuated on suspicion of a car bomb that was reported by a few t-shirt vendors because of smoke coming from a car, and this resulted in a report to the police by the vendors. It turned out to be great that the vendors were so watchful because the car did contain a bomb that would have caused a large fireball and damage to anyone in the area. The Daily News has a articled article about the incident posted here. The man responsible, Faisal Shahzad, attempted to light the device but was thought to be scared away by the police. He was later found on an airplane headed out of JFK airport in New York and arrested for his attempted bombing. Thankfully nobody was harmed in this incident and thanks to the watchful eyes of a couple of street vendors everyone in the area was able to make it home safe while the man was eventually arrested.

On May 7, 2010, I was headed to the Toys R Us store on Broadway because I work on Broadway at a job placement agency, and I needed to get a gift for my nephew's birthday. When I arrived I was told to leave the store because police were evacuating Times Square due to a potential terrorist attack. Everyone inside the store was commenting that this must be a mistake, and officers were telling the shoppers that they need to leave for their own safety. The shoppers were asking what was going on and what the problem was, and the officers indicated that there was an investigation into a potential threat within Times Square. The officer went on to say that someone found a suspicious package on 45th and Broadway and that the area had been cleared for about a 2 mile radius. Everyone at the store following the wishes of the officer because they appeared to be scared, and I heard many comments of shoppers that were confused as to what was going on, and they just wanted to shop. Everyone within the store was wise enough to evacuate the area and I headed to a peanut vendor near the train station after catching a cab.

I commented to the cab driver, named Steven Mehra, about the incident and he informed me that everything was safe and that the package was a cooler. He said Police were called because someone was suspicious about the cooler, and after searching the cooler it was found to contain water bottles, that was later confirmed by the Washington Post. The cab driver laughed about the situation because nothing actually warranted the panic and he also said he was not worried about future terrorist attacks. I told him that I appreciate the caution by the person that reported the package to the police, and I am happier that nothing harmful was in the package. It is better to be safe than sorry, and with the second evacuation within a week I would say people in New York are in a state of increased suspicious and worry. As a worker in this area I am very cautious and suspicious about any cars in the vicinity, and I constantly worry about if I will be safe, or if I will make it home at the end of the day. I have also begun looking for employment in nearby cities because I am worried about my safety.

Sources
Jerry Markon; Washington Post ; "Times Square suspicious package contained only water bottles"

Alison Gendar, Rocco Parascandola, Kevin Deutsch and Samuel Goldsmith ; New York Daily News; "Times Square car bomb: Cops evacuate heart of NYS after potential 'terrorist attack'"