Times Square reopens after abandoned van scare

A white van spotted by law enforcement at 11am in Times Square prompted partial evacuations in the area after being deemed “suspicious.”

The white 1992 Dodge van was at first believed to have been abandoned and unmoved for a number of days, but authorities now say it may have only been in the spot on Broadway between 41st and 42nd streets since this morning. Law enforcement towed cars surrounding the van and are seeking the van’s owner, saying registration was not standard and the van bore a fake police-related placard. Local buildings housing Conde Nast and NASDAQ were evacuated while police approached the vehicle with a robot, finding clothing in the back but nothing indicating the van was parked there for nefarious purposes.

Paul J. Browne, the Police Department’s chief spokesman, said that the NYPD does not believe that the van was planted as a diversionary tactic, nor that the incident was organized to test police response ahead of the massive gathering of people expected in Times Square tomorrow night.

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