Replies

Apparently a note found on the train sparked this morning's scare

Cops halt New York-bound train, question all aboard
Threatening note found by passenger

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEWARK — A threatening note found by a passenger aboard a Washington-to-New York Amtrak train prompted police to detain it at Newark Penn Station for 90 minutes Thursday morning. Officers asked each passenger for identification and searched the cars with bomb-sniffing dogs.

Amtrak spokesman Dan Stessel said the note was attached to the mirror in a restroom of the train’s cafe car. Stessel said he did not know its exact content.

The passenger who found it notified the train crew. They called dispatchers, who had police waiting for the train at its next scheduled stop in Newark.

“The passenger did exactly the right thing,” Stessel said.
He said police did a through search of the train, and determined it was safe.

Passengers, however, were not told what was going on. Over a cell phone from a passenger on board the train, an unidentified railroad or police worker could be overheard telling passengers, “This is an unusual situation.”

Terry Taylor, The Associated Press’ sports editor, boarded the train in Philadelphia, and said it was held in the Newark station shortly after 8 a.m.

The train was permitted to leave the station at 9:30 a.m. Taylor said no explanation was given to passengers, but an announcement was made thanking them for their patience.
Transit police officers came down the aisle of each car, asking to see each passenger’s identification and checking the information with small hand-held computer devices, Taylor said.

Police swept overhead luggage compartments with a metal wand, and at least one police dog was brought aboard the train.

While the search was under way, police did not allow anyone on or off the train, and the platform was cordoned off with yellow police tape, she said. Passengers were told that anyone with a medical condition who needed to get off the train should speak to authorities.

The FBI’s Newark office sent two agents to the station to help with the investigation.

The note was to be sent to a crime laboratory to be checked for fingerprints or other identifying evidence, Stessel said.

Rail officials said last week that additional security measures would be imposed on New York-bound trains in preparation for next month’s Republican National Convention in New York.

http://www.nydailynews.com/front/breaking_news/story/214652p-184838c.html