A Tesla Model S created a bomb scare in Queens Place Mall on Monday. Photo: The Gothamist
A Tesla Model S brought out New York’s bomb squad on Monday, as hundreds were forced to evacuate Queens Place Mall.
The car, as reported by the Gothamist, was connected to a hoax bomb device which included a propane tank. After being reported to the police at about 9 am on Monday, Queens Place Mall evacuated as the bomb squad arrived to take a look.
Featuring a number of random oddities including a ‘black lives matter’ sign, wires, an aerosol can, and several pieces of wood and cardboard, the Model S was inspected and discovered to be a hoax by 11 am. Additionally, police freed a husky which was trapped inside the vehicle.
UPDATE: The suspicious package in the @NYPD110Pct has been deemed a hoax device.
Immediately upon responding to the initial scene, officers from @NYPDCT and @NYPDSpecialops rescued this husky that was trapped inside the vehicle. pic.twitter.com/Ik9Q8ZEo6q
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) January 4, 2021
An investigation into suspects is still ongoing, and little information has been shared as of yet. The vehicle also had loaner plates from Nevada, believed by police officers to be stolen. A recent RV explosion in Nashville also has police departments stepping up at infrastructure locations around the country, including in New York.
Whatever the bomb hoax meant, hopefully, it doesn’t become a regular occurrence. And, ultimately, it just seems like a shame of a way to use a Tesla Model S, especially with a world on the brink of climate crisis.
Update Jan. 5: According to Fox News, he suspect has turned himself in:
Louis Shenker called 911 around 3 a.m. and turned himself in to authorities at a Brooklyn police precinct shortly thereafter in connection with the Monday morning bomb threat, law enforcement sources confirmed to Fox News. Investigators with the New York Police Department were still interviewing him as of Tuesday at 10 a.m.
