Police from the 106th Precinct in Ozone Park responded to a report of a suspicious device found near a Chase Bank in Richmond Hill just before noon on Tuesday.
Officers evacuated the bank after they discovered what appeared to be a grenade in a bag alongside a vehicle parked near the front of the bank at 111-18 Liberty Ave., police said.
The NYPD Bomb Squad and the Emergency Services Unit were called to the scene along with the FDNY and the NYC Office of Emergency Management causing road closures and traffic delays in the area.
The MTA suspended service on the elevated A train between the Rockaway Boulevard and Ozone Park-Lefferts Blvd subway stations as the NYPD investigation unfolded below.
“I was on my way to work about 12 p.m. and as I was walking in, everyone was told to evacuate the building,” a Chase employee who wanted to remain anonymous said. “It is not every day you see the bomb squad. This is a little worrying.”
A member of the Bomb Squad in protective gear safely removed the device and it was transported to Rodman’s Neck in the Bronx to determine if it was a live grenade or inert, according to an NYPD spokeswoman.
A train service resumed at around 2:15 p.m., according to an MTA spokesperson.
No one was injured during the incident and the Chase branch was temporarily closed “due to an emergency” according to a sign on the front door.
“I was alarmed because I saw all this commotion and officers digging through the truck, I wasn’t sure what was happening,” eyewitness Singh Bakshi said. “It’s New York City, anything can happen.”
The Bomb Squad determined the grenade was inert. There are no arrests and the investigation remains ongoing, according to an NYPD spokesman.
