Queens Place bomb hoax diffused after mall evacuation, rush hour traffic jam

The NYPD rescued a dog while investigating a car bomb Monday morning Photo via NYPDnews/twitter

By David Brand

The first Monday of the new year began with a car bomb scare for commuters, workers and NYPD officers at Queens Place Mall in Elmhurst.

A call about a possible explosive device inside a parking garage at 88-01 Queens Blvd. spurred a response from the NYPD’s Emergency Service Unit and Bomb Squad at around 7:40 a.m. Monday.

Emergency vehicles swarmed the area, delaying rush hour traffic along Queens Boulevard, before investigators determined that a package inside a parked Tesla was not actually an explosive. Officers did, however, rescue a husky from inside the vehicle.

New York City’s Office of Emergency Management tweeted that investigators had given the area the all-clear after determining that a “suspicious package has been deemed a hoax device." The package reportedly included a propane tank and battery, according to Citizen.

Firefighters and police officers closed the section of Queens Boulevard during the investigation and evacuated the mall and nearby buildings “out of an abundance of caution,” an FDNY spokesperson said.

An NYPD official said police continue to investigate the hoax.