The Brooklyn Bridge was shut down on Monday after police received a call saying that a car was stopped on the bridge with no one in it, according to the Associated Press. Police shut the bridge down to determine if the vehicle was a threat.
The call about the vehicle, a Dodge Durango, came in about 5:15 p.m. Traffic was shut down in both directions at about 6 p.m. forcing drivers to find an alternate route and causing traffic problems. The New York police department bomb squad, as well as other investigators arrived on the scene to examine the vehicle. Video showed an investigator wearing a protective body suit to examine the vehicle. A dog was also brought in. It had no license plate or vehicle identification number, according to Christopher Miller, a spokesman with the New York City Office of Emergency Management.
The vehicle was left in the right lane of the Manhattan-bound side of the bridge, about mid-span, according to a police spokesman. Authorities declared the situation safe, giving an “all clear” around 7 p.m. and reopening the bridge to vehicular traffic, according to Detective Kellyann Ort, who spoke to CNN.
This is not the first time the bridge has been shut down for security reasons. In October 2010, a report of a suspicious package caused the bridge to be shut down for less than an hour before investigators determined it was a false alarm. Prior to that, in June 2009, three empty black suitcases were left on the bridge, causing it to be shut down for just over an hour.
The Brooklyn Bridge was built in 1883 and connects the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn over the East River. It is one of the oldest suspension bridges in the U.S. and was the longest suspension bridge in the world until 1903.
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