Mamaroneck (Village)- Suspicious Device - News Post

[ems-buff 81]

MAMARONECK — A child's Halloween costume shut down Interstate 95 Wednesday.

Police said that's what was inside a package marked "explosives" in a van at a gas station Wednesday, raising enough alarm to force the evacuation of several buildings and the closing of Mamaroneck Avenue and I-95

Mamroneck Bomb Threat Shuts down I-95

Kudos to all involed, Can never be to careful

[Guest jcnyc]

Have to love people who cant MYOB.

[khas143 13]

Have to love people who cant MYOB.

Yeah like the vendor that reported the Times Square vehicle borne device should have MYOB. Thats why if you see something, you should say something.

[helicopper 1,050]

Yeah like the vendor that reported the Times Square vehicle borne device should have MYOB. Thats why if you see something, you should say something.

Exactly! Sometimes we're our own worst enemies. Somebody saw something suspicious and reported it. They should be commended for getting involved not criticized for it.

[Alpinerunner 61]

Have to love people who cant MYOB.

Sometimes it is the case of people being overly cautions and calling in pretty innocuous/common things, but most times not.

In this case, a police officer noticed the package (designed to look like a bomb) and deemed it suspicious.

[Guest jcnyc]

Umm something smoking and smelling is a little different then something that 'looks' like a bomb. Like 8 years ago a guy who was a 'local' was moving a steamer trunk from one side of broadway to Amsterdam ave from Riverside Ave, in the middle of it he gets tired (at 11am) and goes for a nap on one of his favorite benches. Well he wakes up at 1pm and sees 3 engines 2 trucks, esu bomb, the whole magilla, comes up to us and said whats going on. Our reply was that they think that steamer trunk is a bomb, his reply, nahhhh it is just some bowling balls I got tired of moving. Literaly it was 12 bowling balls in a steamer trunk on Broadway and a 112st. Mamaroneck is real high up on the target list. A little common sense goes a long way. Especially when the car is registered to Peter Smith from 123 Oak St Bedford Ny.

[dmc2007 17]

Umm something smoking and smelling is a little different then something that 'looks' like a bomb. Like 8 years ago a guy who was a 'local' was moving a steamer trunk from one side of broadway to Amsterdam ave from Riverside Ave, in the middle of it he gets tired (at 11am) and goes for a nap on one of his favorite benches. Well he wakes up at 1pm and sees 3 engines 2 trucks, esu bomb, the whole magilla, comes up to us and said whats going on. Our reply was that they think that steamer trunk is a bomb, his reply, nahhhh it is just some bowling balls I got tired of moving. Literaly it was 12 bowling balls in a steamer trunk on Broadway and a 112st. Mamaroneck is real high up on the target list. A little common sense goes a long way. Especially when the car is registered to Peter Smith from 123 Oak St Bedford Ny.

But where does "not being high on the target list" end? What about if this occurred in New Rochelle? In Yonkers? It was a suspicious device (at a gas station, no less). It was called in, resources responded, no one go hurt, and everyone went home. Solid work to all involved.

[ny10570 745]

Easy, smoking suspicious vehicle IFO and "important" building/location is a BIG DEAL. "Package" inside a car in a suburban town at a random gas station should start with an interview of the registered owner. Talk about see something say something it all depends on the location and the item. Strange box in Parkchester, literally got a kick from the first arriving ESU cop. At the FedEx processing center the suspicious package got x-rayed. In the West Village, the u-haul box 6 feet from the garbage was kicked by the beat cop. The carry on luggage next to the law school library got a quick canvas of the library. Owner was found before ESU arrived. Bombs are not placed randomly...yet. They're there for a reason. If there's a reasonable explanation for what you're looking at, its probably where it actually came from.

[ems-buff 81]

Umm something smoking and smelling is a little different then something that 'looks' like a bomb. Like 8 years ago a guy who was a 'local' was moving a steamer trunk from one side of broadway to Amsterdam ave from Riverside Ave, in the middle of it he gets tired (at 11am) and goes for a nap on one of his favorite benches. Well he wakes up at 1pm and sees 3 engines 2 trucks, esu bomb, the whole magilla, comes up to us and said whats going on. Our reply was that they think that steamer trunk is a bomb, his reply, nahhhh it is just some bowling balls I got tired of moving. Literaly it was 12 bowling balls in a steamer trunk on Broadway and a 112st. Mamaroneck is real high up on the target list. A little common sense goes a long way. Especially when the car is registered to Peter Smith from 123 Oak St Bedford Ny.

Saddly in this day, age. NYC while know to be nationally as a "terrorist target", Westchester County is not to far behind. I can name quite a few "potential" targets, I could name a few where I work, and live. (but I wont) Like helicopper said on this topic " If you see something, say something." It's not just a poster on every train station in NEW YORK for nothing lol..

Once again Kudos to Officer Paul Massi, VMPD, VMFD, MEMS, TMAD, and DES with the county bomb squad for handling this situation quickly and decisively.

[Bnechis 3,961]

Mamaroneck is real high up on the target list. A little common sense goes a long way. Especially when the car is registered to Peter Smith from 123 Oak St Bedford Ny.

You are correct Mamaroneck is not on the same list as Manhattan, But its pretty clear that every attack in Manhattan was stagged outside the primary target.

WTC 93' came from Jersey City and they had a back-up staging in Yonkers. During a routine building inspection in Mt Vernon, a warehouse filled with chemicals was discovered. Turned out they were WMD's being shipped to Libia. The owners are spending the rest of there lives in lock-up. The EPA's estimate during clean up was a detonation would have killed up to 40,000 (1/2 in the Bronx) and the crater would have been 1/4 mile diameter. One of the NYC threats was staged in Bridgport, Ct. just a simple drive down I-95 thru Mamaroneck to NYC. I wonder where they purchased gas for the trip?

Then there was the political bombings in Westchester in the 70's Including 1 on Mamroneck Avenue (just up the road from this location).

You are right, Mamaroneck is not a likely target, but it is a likely staging area and its very likely it could pass thru. And whats the chance that someone that plans harm in NYC screws up and it actually happens just out side. The people doing this, have mostly been foiled, because they screwed up.

[antiquefirelt 994]

While many of us probably can agree that lesser targets may be just that, there should be no excuse for not taking the job seriously and at least using it as a procedural rollout. Where we live on the mid-coast of Maine, chances of a target are slim to know, but... Just north of us in a smaller town, a Neo-Nazi was building bombs, thankfully his wife could no longer take his abuse and offed him, the investigation revealed significant potential for this guy to have caused an incident of national importance. I think it was in Time magazine just a few months ago.

Our Haz-mat/WMD team has run on numerous suspicious package, powder, odor incidents and they usually ramp up fast and then terminate quickly too as the threat credibility is zilch. Each incident is run like the threat is there until it is dis-proven. Obviously, in an area where threats are so low, it may be easier to take this approach, but the general consensus is not "if it happens again", but "when and where it will happen again". We should be more vigilant and efficient than we ever were in the past.

[Guest jcnyc]

So everyone here with the exception of me and one other guy should not be concerned that when DHS money goes out Kansas and North Dakota are still on the list. Think about the disruption this caused to the lives of people surrounding this. Like someone else said, run the plate, ask a few questions. Read a few websites on how explosions behave. Just cause it is at a gas station doesn't mean the place is going to be a ball of fire. If I was the guy who owned that SUV I would hope my name didn't get out, cause I am sure someone who had their day destroyed would love to repay this person for A) Being a retard, (wish it was a crime) and B)creating something that looked like it 'could' be a bomb and leaving it in plain site!

[helicopper 1,050]

So everyone here with the exception of me and one other guy should not be concerned that when DHS money goes out Kansas and North Dakota are still on the list. Think about the disruption this caused to the lives of people surrounding this. Like someone else said, run the plate, ask a few questions. Read a few websites on how explosions behave. Just cause it is at a gas station doesn't mean the place is going to be a ball of fire. If I was the guy who owned that SUV I would hope my name didn't get out, cause I am sure someone who had their day destroyed would love to repay this person for A) Being a retard, (wish it was a crime) and B)creating something that looked like it 'could' be a bomb and leaving it in plain site!

The distribution of DHS funds is a concern to me (and should be to everyone else) and there is definitely an issue when Idaho or North Dakota get as much money as Illinois or Florida. However, Westchester County (along with Nassau and Suffolk) is in the New York City urban area security initiative because there are potential targets here and for the reasons that bnechis already noted. As NYC becomes a "harder target" it is very possible that targets in outlying suburbs could become more desirable. Your inference that because we think the response was appropriate means we don't care about DHS funding is way off base.

A couple more thoughts...

"Reading a few websites" doesn't make anyone an authority on anything. Attending awareness classes doesn't either and I've seen too many "experts" talking about how to "handle" bombs after attending an awareness course.

Didn't an NYPD cop get killed (or almost killed) kicking a "suspicious package" outside 1 PP some time ago? Wasn't it a fast food container designed to look inoccuous while it was really an IED? Hmm... let's not advocate kicking suspicious packages or even joke about it because one of these days somebody is going to kick the wrong package and pay for it dearly. Apathy and complacency are probably the top killers of us in emergency services and that is 100% preventable.

Should we conduct an investigation into every suspicious incident - absolutely. Does that mean sometimes the trigger gets pulled and the FD and hazardous devices units get called out? Yup. So what? It's there job and hopefully it will be nonsense all the time but we've had pipe bombs and other IED's in Westchester County. We've had explosives stolen or misdirected. We've had people bring home "souvenirs" from the military that turn out to be live ordnance.

Other times it will be a simple inquiry, logical and verifiable explanation, and nothing more.

We can't lump all these things into the BS category. A steamer trunk could have contained a body, components of a drug lab, a big stash of ill gotten gains, or other "contraband" and been a great grab. Let's nof forget that Timothy McVeigh and Joel Rifkin were both caught because of traffic infractions. Sometimes its the little stuff that leads to much bigger stuff. Like the lottery, you gotta be in it to win it.

Two more cents...

Imagine the disruption to the lives of people if we ignore something and people (or us) get killed or injured. An hour of road closures is nothing in comparison.

[LTNRFD 266]

You are correct Mamaroneck is not on the same list as Manhattan, But its pretty clear that every attack in Manhattan was stagged outside the primary target.

WTC 93' came from Jersey City and they had a back-up staging in Yonkers. During a routine building inspection in Mt Vernon, a warehouse filled with chemicals was discovered. Turned out they were WMD's being shipped to Libia. The owners are spending the rest of there lives in lock-up. The EPA's estimate during clean up was a detonation would have killed up to 40,000 (1/2 in the Bronx) and the crater would have been 1/4 mile diameter. One of the NYC threats was staged in Bridgport, Ct. just a simple drive down I-95 thru Mamaroneck to NYC. I wonder where they purchased gas for the trip?

Then there was the political bombings in Westchester in the 70's Including 1 on Mamroneck Avenue (just up the road from this location).

You are right, Mamaroneck is not a likely target, but it is a likely staging area and its very likely it could pass thru. And whats the chance that someone that plans harm in NYC screws up and it actually happens just out side. The people doing this, have mostly been foiled, because they screwed up.

Barry, don't forget about the pipe bomb that was found on the Con Ed switching box on Hall Ave in Larchmont in the late 70's. A phone company repair man found a strange device on the pole when he was trying to make a repair to the service line to the resident across from the pole. The line was damaged when the device was put on the pole. The only thing that kept this pipe bomb from detonating was it was in the low 20's and the 9 volt battery was drained due to the cold.

Why was this bomb placed on an utility pole in Larchmont? The pole was IFO Turtle Park in the dead of winter. So when you say any place is not a "high" target area, think again.

BTW if anyone here was in the career firefighters academy in Valhalla in the late 80's to the early 90's and took the class the WCPD Bomb Squad gave on what to look for, the pipe that was shown as to what a pipe bomb looks like was the actual device that was at the Larchmont incident. The Det. that gave the class said he used the 9 volt battery in his transistor radio his office for a couple of years after that incident.

[antiquefirelt 994]

So everyone here with the exception of me and one other guy should not be concerned that when DHS money goes out Kansas and North Dakota are still on the list.

I'm not even going to begin to think that outside the metro areas, the threat is at the same level, but there are plenty of non-metro areas that will become much more likely targets as the current ones become "hardened". Chances are the device itself limits the number of innocents hurt, not the number of persons present, as we all have numerous places and events with more people than the average terrorist can kill in one shot. It's hard to convince people in the heartland that New York City with all it resources need an over abundant amount of their tax dollars to remain safe from terrorists, while they cannot fund their own public safety. Try convincing broke people to pay more to protect "icons and symbols" of american life. Of course within reason the money must go where it can protect the most persons, thus the increased funding to metro areas.

[JohnnyOV 2]

Yeah like the vendor that reported the Times Square vehicle borne device should have MYOB. Thats why if you see something, you should say something.

Took the words right out of my mouth

[Guest jcnyc]

I have friends in places who tell me things that most LE agencies do not get. The next incident is not going to be something that is either expected or preventable. Ill bet that the only issue outside of westchester faces is the increase in people not going to work in Manhattan for a few weeks. It is unfortunate that the cops on the street these days are not allowed to think, and are forced to just react for fear of disciplinary action. If I was working sanitation I would be more concerned about a box on the side of the road then if I was a cop or fireman driving past. I have asked the NYPD bomb squad what to look for and what is usually credible and the answer was when it happens it will happen. The only time they have found anything near legit was the guy in times square and we all know how stupid that guy was.

[ny10570 745]

I thought the PP bomb killed a bomb tech investigating the suspicious package. Either way, should every piece of trash or carelessly discarded bag be treated like a bomb? What about the two big black garbage bags full of something dumped in the street in front of the Con Ed steam plant on the Lower East side last night? Turns out there's a big bump there that bounces bag out of commercial sanitation trucks pretty regularly. What about the kid that was placing pipe bombs in mail boxes across the US so he could make a smiley face on a map? Should we abandon mail boxes? We need to be alert and aware, but we have to temper our caution with common sense.

[antiquefirelt 994]

I have asked the NYPD bomb squad what to look for and what is usually credible and the answer was when it happens it will happen.

When I noted checking credibility, I was referring to a credible threat, not necessarily what looks like a bomb to real bomb techs.

For instance, a small white powder in the parking lot at a business in the southern part of our state shut down a major business park and area roads for over 6 hours a few years ago. Within the same week, our FD (we're also a HM/WMD RRT) was called out for white powder int he drive thru of a bank. Of course we denied access, cordoned off the immediate area (our Main St. merchant area) and then begin the assessment. We (with PD) very quickly identified no credible threat, and re-opened the bank and streets, total time under 1 hour. Within 2 hours we'd identified a teenager who'd watched too much Jackass had flour bombed his dad's pick-up who then went through the drive-thru, we can only assume to get quarters for the carwash. No threatening letters, no law enforcement secret notice of a threat, no angry former employees and no real concern that anyone would drop their Anthrax on the pavement of the drive-thru. One might ask, why do anything at all, but in reality we must use these calls as proof our procedures work and to reassure the the public that we take their vigilance seriously.

If we're going to dismiss reports out of hand, short of seeing the stereo typical terrorist with a black bomb labelled as such, then we'd might as well not ask for help identifying things that are out of the ordinary.

Edited December 17, 2010 by antiquefirelt

[Bnechis 3,961]

The next incident is not going to be something that is either expected or preventable.

In someways this is true. No one predicted that planes would be used as weapons agains America and we could not do anything to prevent it (Kamikaze? ElAl pre flight screening)

Oklahoma City truck bomb (doesn't almost every federal building now have baracades to make vehicles stand off) Nope, we never thought someone angry with the US would use vehicle bombs (never heard of the middle east).

How do you expect anything to be preventable if people dont speek up when they see something?

It is unfortunate that the cops on the street these days are not allowed to think, and are forced to just react for fear of disciplinary action. If I was working sanitation I would be more concerned about a box on the side of the road then if I was a cop or fireman driving past.

Yes thats unfortinate, but in this case they did and yousaid they were wrong for doing it. So which is it, you appear to want it both ways.

I have asked the NYPD bomb squad what to look for and what is usually credible and the answer was when it happens it will happen.

And if he gave you a ligit answer, it would have been it could be made to look like anything. Sounds more like he was just trying to dismiss your question.

The only time they have found anything near legit was the guy in times square and we all know how stupid that guy was.

They have found a lot more than that, you just are not being notified.

One way to keep informed is to read each weeks FDNY Watchline it makes it clear that this is not even close to the only one and yes he was stupid, most have been, which is the only reason we've been so lucky.

Central Station Burgler alarms dont stop the true pro, but make the amature move on to an easier target. Since the media plays it up. Going to the extent they did in Mamaroneck, just may get the attention of the guy who is planning harm and he will say this area is prepared and i'm better moving it down the road. But we will never know.

[Guest jcnyc]

FYI I had info that I spread through work that was available 3 days ago that was just published on the BS watchline. But this info I read online, not from any of my DHS or USSS or FBI friends.

[velcroMedic1987 330]

FYI I had info that I spread through work that was available 3 days ago that was just published on the BS watchline. But this info I read online, not from any of my DHS or USSS or FBI friends.

I should hope you're not getting classified info from your DHS or USSS or FBI friends. You claim to have a lot of inside info about the goings on in counter terrorism and homeland security but without a clearance there's gonna be a lot you don't hear about. So instead of bashing these guys for doing their jobs and the right thing, why don't you just lighten up.

[Guest jcnyc]

I am not bashing anyone, the original story had nothing saying it was something that looked like a bomb. I am in NYC more than anyone that has posted anyting about this topic, I walk by and see things all the time that some liberal from UWS would call 911 about but I know from my cognitive skills that it is NOTHING. And Bomb squad isn't worried about sharing info with the FD, we are in most cases the first ones there. I am in NYC about 5 full days a week between work and living with the other half. When I see things that look legit I call, but I have yet to do that since I see things constantly! Call all day long, I don't care, it wont bother me, if anything it gives the guys working practice for the real thing.

[PEMO3 523]

Bombs are not placed randomly...yet. They're there for a reason. If there's a reasonable explanation for what you're looking at, its probably where it actually came from.

Unfortunately, it is just that lax thinking that the would be terrorist is relying on. Have you not hear of soft targets? Those small sleepy Main Street coffee shops, etc. These are the targets that would bring fear and havoc into everyday life if an actual device did go off. The Time Square incident was almost expected, a small gas station in Small Town USA would redefine how people think and fear. The reality for most would become no where is safe. So no, that out of place box is not the same as kicking the tires on grandpa's Chevy and I would hate to be the person to have to tell the widow of the cocky responder who kicked the wrong box how sorry they are.

Just my two cents....

[JM15 386]

I took a terrorism class last summer and my instructor brought up some good points. Terrorism is meant to scare and disrupt our population. What better way to do that then bring the fear to our everyday life. According to him one of the scariest scenarios would be bombs in 30 Walmart's across the country or something like that.

[SRS131EMTFF 471]

I took a terrorism class last summer and my instructor brought up some good points. Terrorism is meant to scare and disrupt our population. What better way to do that then bring the fear to our everyday life. According to him one of the scariest scenarios would be bombs in 30 Walmart's across the country or something like that.

I think the fact that something like has not happened here in the United States is a testament to our foreign and national security policy than anything else.

As Margaret Mead once said: “Never doubt that a small group of committed people can change the world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has.”

I am honestly much more scared of home grown threats than anything abroad. We have destroyed the international terrorism pool only to grow it at home.

[Bnechis 3,961]

I think the fact that something like has not happened here in the United States is a testament to our foreign and national security policy than anything else.

And a lot of good old plain luck.

We have destroyed the international terrorism pool only to grow it at home.

Don't believe its destroyed, we just filtered the pool and pour some chlorine in it. That reduced the algee, but the chlorine will burn off and it will be back. Remember some of what we are fighting we have been fighting since "the Shores of Tripoli" in 1801-1805.

[SRS131EMTFF 471]

And a lot of good old plain luck.

Don't believe its destroyed, we just filtered the pool and pour some chlorine in it. That reduced the algee, but the chlorine will burn off and it will be back. Remember some of what we are fighting we have been fighting since "the Shores of Tripoli" in 1801-1805.

True, very true. I was told the best way to think about American Security was as rings of circles with the inner ring being personal awareness, security and mindfulness, the outer being the "Point of the Spear" military engagements with concentric layers of security and government in between. Our outer most layer has greatly prevented from anything even remotely resembling 9/11 to appear. The closest we have gotten since to my knowledge was X-Mas bomber, Madrid, London and the Fedex to some degree. However, the vast majority of those were 5 or less people, not the 20+ we saw on 9/11. Our military intervention/intelligence with a bit of luck have prevented the complexity to increase. It is really hard to bomb America when you are concerned that buzzing over your head is a Drone with a cruise missile attached. Once the outer most layer is breached with x-mas, madrid, london etc, it falls upon each other concentric ring to absorb the threat. However, in this country, we are facing a "radicalization" as Rep. Peter King said yesterday. Once we are on our own soil, it is the inner most ring of security that becomes most important, not the military ring.

[antiquefirelt 994]

Interestingly enough, the fact that we have everyday citizens reporting the errant left bag or oddly parked car, is proving that the terrorist have brought changes to our country through fear. Not to say we can afford to ignore these things in todays world, but for some radicals that alone gets a check in their "win" column. All they have to do to keep messing with our collective minds is have some low budget hack make a feeble attempt and we react by locking ourselves down. Look at the turmoil caused with the TSA stuff. All this to stop someone from blowing an airliner from the sky, which likely would have less loss of life than a mass gathering bombing, which we do little to prevent in comparison. Does anyone really believe another single aircraft will ever be taken over and used as a weapon? Even common folk won't ever let that be a reality again, but would rather die taking out the terrorist than being used as a WMD.

Many terrorist groups loathe our freedoms, thus even these small acts cause us to give up our freedoms a little piece at a time. The subway attacks in Madrid led to questions of subway security worldwide (not to mention the Tokyo attacks before that). Times Square now has some thinking twice about mass gatherings and visiting high profile targets. One professor who lectures in Anniston, Alabama noted that an attack in the heartland may be imminent as it would shake the feeling that the majority of Americans living outside metro areas are safe.

[antiquefirelt 994]

I walk by and see things all the time that some liberal from UWS would call 911 about but I know from my cognitive skills that it is NOTHING.

I find that quite cavalier, considering that most bomb units don't see or treat suspicious packages this way. I think the post you noted quoting an NYPD bomb guy, he was more likely inferring that a true bomber with any training will disguise the device well enough that no one will know it's a bomb until it's too late. Thankfully the idiots we've seen have either been radicals somehow angry enough to try something far beyond their ability or patsys sent in to test the response and in fact cause fear without needing a real detonation.

Here in the little old state of Maine we had two Walmarts closed and evacuated yesterday (one the day bfore as well!) because someone wrote "BOMB" on the mirror in a ladies room. Again, I kinda know we can't ignore these things, but really? Do we really think someone who's going to blow up Walmart will warn them? I'd like too know the number of actual devices found worldwide that were preceded by a note or warning. look at how many schools shut down and evacuate from bomb threats. Here are American kids capitalizing on the fear that we think some might really try and blow up a school. Now in this area after numerous bomb threat disruption days, they move kids from one side of the school while teachers look for bombs, then switch the kids to the other side until it's cleared, then back to class. Why even bother?

Edited December 17, 2010 by antiquefirelt