Philadelphia, PA August 18, 2004 — A situation continues to unfold in south Philadelphia. Police pulled over a rental truck, concerned the driver was acting suspicious.
Authorities took no chances, and they took all the precautions, summoning Haz-Mat teams, the Bomb Squad, and closing down a part of Broad Street around the sports complex. It happened in the area around south Broad Street where it approaches I-95 near all the sports stadiums.
Things were at a standstill this morning, but Broad Street is now open again. The exit ramps off i-95 are open again and things are get back to normal in South Philadelphia after some very tense moments this morning.
It all started when the driver of the rental truck pulled into a gas station in Penn Salem and asked the attendant for directions to the Philadelphia International Airport.
Official: "The civilian picked up what he felt was suspicious, alerted the local police who alerted the State Police who alerted our expressway teams on I-95."
It was highway patrol officer Thomas Frazier who made the stop. Officer Thomas Frazier: "When I approached the vehicle, he seemed a little nervous. At which time I got his license and registration."
The driver handed over a New York State commercial driver's license with the name on it. It turns out he had been an illegal alien and he was arrested.
He had invoices for the chemicals in the truck, but the police weren't taking any chances. They isolated the truck on Broad Street near the Wachovia Center. Employees of a sports complex were moved to the other side of the building.
The Bomb Squad came in and set off a remote controlled charge to disable any explosives that might have been on the truck. After it all cleared, they found the truck was loaded with boxes of a corrosive chlorine.They were not secured and could have caused a hazard if they had shifted and ruptured. Members of a joint terrorism task force were called in. Even though it turned out to be not terror-related, it was a useful, real world training exercise.
Official: "This material wasn't of a extremely hazardous nature, it shows how ready this department is to respond to any type of situation that might confront us in the future."
It may have turned out to be nothing, but this scenario is exactly what Homeland Security has been urging all of America to be prepared for and an alert citizen notified the police. The police notified all of the other agencies, F.B.I., Joint Terrorism Task Force, Haz-Mat, and the Bomb Squad.
They all responded in an appropriate and prompt manner and managed to get this truck off the highway before it got to Philadelphia International Airport. Obviously it turned out to be nothing more serious than some corrosive materials on the truck.
But it all worked out according to the scenario that Homeland Security is hoping for. Copyright Action News, 2004.
I'm not sure what "corrosive" chlorine is, but chlorine gas is extremely lethal. What am I missing here?