UPDATE:
(CNN) — A bomb threat that led to the evacuation of New York’s iconic Statue of Liberty and Liberty Island on Friday was unfounded, according to a law enforcement official. The NYPD bomb squad examined a locker thought to have a suspicious package and found it was empty, the official said.
Previously:
NEW YORK — Tourists visiting the Statue of Liberty were evacuated because of a police investigation Friday afternoon, PIX11 reports.
The NYPD bomb squad is currently at the scene after a suspicious package was found, according to the U.S. Park Police.
Around 12:30 p.m. people were hustled off Liberty Island and onto waiting ferries.
“Please cooperate ladies and gentlemen and step quickly through the gap (in the barricades) to the rear of the vessel,” visitors were told over the loudspeakers in a video recorded by a visitor. “There is more seating available up top so please do not stop or hesitate on the gangway.”
No injuries have been reported.
Liberty Island is a major Manhattan tourist attraction best known for the Statue of Liberty National Monument.
