A report of a bomb inside a car yesterday caused the evacuation of a shopping center in Queens (NYC), but the device turned out to be false and a dog was found locked up in the vehicle.
The notice came shortly after 7: 30 am yesterday, when a caller at 911 reported a Tesla car with exposed wires and possibly a propane tank at Queens Place Mall in Elmhurst, according to authorities.
Later, the Police described the call as a “hoax” and posted a photo of the makeshift item with wires attached to an aerosol can along with some other indiscernible objects, described New York Post.
It is believed to be a stolen car. A husky dog was rescued from the interior around 11 am Authorities suspect that the false alarm was the work of Louis Shenker, a right-wing fanatic arrested and released last week for an alleged arson. This morning he turned himself in to the police, CBS2 News.
A “Black Lives Matter” sign was attached to the false alarm and police are investigating whether Shenker ( 22) put it there to discredit the movement , sources said.
WATCH as Deputy Commissioner Miller and @ FDNY update the media on today’s suspicious vehicle at Queens Place Mall. pic.twitter.com/AUuwBXpjCc
– NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) January 4, 2021
This is the hoax device that was found during the investigation in Queens earlier today. pic.twitter.com/IEUprCpdE4
– NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) January 4, 2021
Dog rescued from ‘suspicious’ vehicle with apparent hoax device at Queens Place Mall https://t.co/5rGqflCk 43 pic.twitter.com/G1BVm6m8VY
– Eyewitness News (@ ABC7NY) January 4, 2021