Security increased as terror threat targets I-95: What DID happen on I-95 Yesterday??

WFSB TV ^ | March 26, 2004 | WFSB TV

[RaceBannon]

Security increased as terror threat targets I-95 Email to a Friend Printer Friendly Version

BRIDGEPORT -- A terror threat targets Connecticut's busiest stretch of highway, the Interstate-95 corridor in Bridgeport. State police began stepping up security in the area Thursday.

The response is a coordinated effort between local and state police, the Coast Guard, and Homeland Security.

People taking the port Jefferson ferry to long island underwent police checks of vehicles at the docks today.

One of the more visible signs of the increased security measures put into place after authorities received information that Bridgeport could be targeted.

"It's nerve-wracking .. .you see police, and all that's going on, you often wonder," said Long Island resident Timothy Smith.

"What we've done now because of the alerts we've increased police to 24 hours, seven days a week," says Joseph Savino the Harbormaster. "Matter of fact, we just got back to the dock. We were out on patrol."

the alert appears to involve the stretch of I-95 that skirts the city, an area that includes the ferry terminal. The I-95 bridge over the harbor and the Metro North tracks that run parallel to the highway.

"It began with homeland security in Washington obtaining intelligence information and passing it to Connecticut," says State Police spokesman Sgt. Paul Vance. "In this day and age, all intelligence is taken seriously and passed on to law enforcement agencies that it might affect."

State police stress that the intelligence in this situation is both non-specific and unsubstantiated, but is taken very seriously -- hence the increased security.

Measures people seem willing to put up with for the peace of mind it affords them.

"Better the security here than to have a problem when we're out in the middle of Long Island sound on a boat," says Robert Mancuso.

[E Rocc]

It's almost impossible that it was terrorism related. In a terrorist attack involving a tanker, the (probably hijacked) truck would be driven by the terrorist, it would involve much nastier cargo, and it would unquestionably be an attack, not an accident.

-Eric

[LurkedLongEnough]

Check out this next-day bomb threat from the New Haven Register

[snip] ...Traffic was in gridlock in downtown Bridgeport Friday, as uniformed police officers directed vehicles through many detours. Contributing to the chaos was an early-morning bomb threat that closed all three of Bridgeport’s courthouses until 1 p.m.

After emptying the courthouses, police evacuated a radius of more than three blocks from some parts of Golden Hill Street, shooing shopkeepers, shoppers and pedestrians away and redirecting snarled traffic.[snip]

...Fabrizi said the false bomb threat couldn’t have come at a worse time, as emergency responders were already exhausted working overnight on the bridge. Police are "ready to throw the book" at whoever phoned in the hoax, he said.

[Conservative til I die]

Your conspiracy theory works, except for the fact that it was an accident that caused the explosion, just like an accident caused the propane truck explosion ten years earlier on the nearby I-287, and a few years ago on the NYS Thruway when a car crashed into a oil truck underneath an overpass, causing it to MELT.

[xkaydet65]

Bridgeort is 60 miles from Columbus Circle. The number of NYC commuters affected by this incident is miniscule. What is troubling is that both the I 95 and Goethals Bridge are major truck routes and bottlenecks. Anyone with a sense of economic warfare knows the value of chokepoints (think Gibralta, The Dardanelles, and a map of Malaysia and Indonesia.)

In assymetric warfare punishment on the offending siciety need not be measured in 1,000s of dead. It can be measured in the consequences of multiple attacks on the infrastructure which create chaos in the economy.If a simple jr hi history teacher like me can see that, I'msure our enemies have thought of it. Hopefully our people have as well.

[eternity]

That was the first thing that came to my mind. To meet deadlines or what ever those big TT units will come right up to your bumper. That portion of 95 does have it share of accidents.

[BurbankKarl]

how about some dirty bombs to pop the real estate bubble....even a small amount with trace radiological readings would spook people....or a very large one.

if they have thought out effects of attacks on elections, there is no reason to believe they haven't thought of attack to affect the infrastructure and the economy.

[csvset]

Tanker truck fire, it's terror related! /sarcasm

Tractor Trailer Carrying Propane Catches Fire in Chesapeake

Sam Cousins

A tractor trailer believed to by carrying propane caught fire in Chesapeake, causing the closure of Military Highway between the Gilmerton Bridge and Canal Drive for part of Friday morning.

The tractor trailer caught fire on an access road in the 2900 block of South Military Highway near Atlantic Energy, Inc, around 10:30am.

The fire was quickly extinguished, but officials were concerned about additional hazards. Police evacuated nearby homes and businesses.

It was eventually determined that the truck had not yet taken on a load of propane, and was, in fact, empty at the time the blaze began. The area was declared safe, and South Military Highway reopened, around 12:30pm.

According to officials, the driver - Sam Cousins - was in the process of loading the tanker, when he noticed a fire in his engine.

Cousins quickly drove the cab and the attached propane tanker away from the propane filling area.

Officials say his quick action may have made the difference between a small fire and a large explosion.

WAVY TV

[sheik yerbouty]

Rofl!

[HitmanLV]

In what may be a related note, and you didn't read it in any newspapers, the courthouses in Bridgeport got a bomb threat on Friday (the day after the accident on 95) and the staff had to be evacuated for a couple of hours while the bomb sniffing dogs did their job.

[shield]

Car swerved in front of the truck. It didn't explode, then wreck happened, the wreck happened then it exploded.

[Freedom of Speech Wins]

They had that plan with the first WTC attack actually.

They wanted to take out the Holland Tunnel.

If you read about it enough that information is there.

I shudder typing this.

Also the police in Bayonne know about some Arab terrorists in Bayonne who had plotted to destroy bridges on or around 9/11. They knew this after 9/11 and made an arrest. An Egyptian I believe.

Then there is that Ohio? Arab? trucker Farris? who was on a similar mission, regarding a bridge.

Not that I necessarily believe anything of this CT incident.

[jerseygirl]

I'm still trying to figure out why:
1.) Feds issue a terror threat to Bridgeport area 3/25. This is on record. Police begin 24-7 patrol.
2.)3/26 accident
3.)3/27 it is reported that terror threat was bogus

[KangarooJacqui]

Frightening.

As a former resident of CT (although not really anywhere near Bridgeport), my sympathies go out to those affected.

(FWIW, I-95 north of where this happened (Niantic region) used to scare the hell outta me.)

[txhurl]

thank-you indexing bump

Think there is mentionable cell activity there.

[jerseygirl]

On the "threat matrix" thread, freeperfromnj pointed out that Bridgeport is quite close to a nuclear facility. Perhaps 95 was "targetted" to disable evacuation from a nuke accident.

Also, in the initial news article posted about the accident- in the "related news" section at the end of the report, it was mentioned that the "drivers" who were involved in the fiery crash were being sought.

This stood out to me. From my interpretation of the accident (at least as it was reported) a woman cut off a tanker truck; the tanker swerved into the guardrail and burst into flames. The driver of the truck climbed out of the window- he was hospitalized but ok.

The female driver of the car apparently did not have to be "sought." She was (luckily) not harmed.

So why did the initial report say that they were searching for the drivers involved?