LaGuardia Airport was temporarily evacuated on Tuesday after there were reports on a suspicious package. This comes as security is on high alert following the explosions at the Boston Marathon on Monday.
According to a Port Authority spokeswoman, a suspicious package was found on the third floor of the Central Terminal Building at LaGuardia. This area overlooks the food court and is outside the security barrier. Due to the package, Terminal B was evacuated, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Officials investigated the package and found that it was not a threat around 11:30 a.m. They said it contained "some kind of light ballast."
Port Authority police said the evacuation didn't impact passengers who had already passed through security. Those passengers were able to board their flights and leave the airport as scheduled.
Yet hundreds of travelers had to leave the building and some were left panicked. Canika Favors, a 28-year-old traveler was printing her ticket at the airport when people started running. Military members told her to leave her ticket and leave the building.
"We just saw a bunch of people running toward the door," Favors said according to WSJ. "All I was thinking about was 'Oh God, another bombing' because of what happened yesterday."
This wasn't the only report of a suspicious package since the Boston Marathon explosions have many on high alert. Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said that there were 77 reports of suspicious packages over the past 24 hours. This was a clear increase as only 21 were reported at the same time last year. However Kelly reassured New Yorkers that there are "no specific threats" against the city.
That doesn't mean the NYPD is taking it easy though. Officers were on high alert as security increased after three people were killed and dozens more were injured in the attacks on Boston. Busy tourist attractions, hotels, houses of worship and other big targets are under special watch.
New York City Mayor Bloomberg asked New Yorkers to be vigilant and to say something if they see something strange. Yet he also encouraged to live their lives normally.
"We won't let the attack in Boston keep us from our normal daily routines," said Bloomberg.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
