Suspicious Package Investigation in Prospect Park

Several Citizen users broadcasted from the scene of a suspicious package investigation in Windsor Terrace, providing key updates for community members.

Citizen covers suspicious package investigations in New York City nearly every week. Concerned residents report abandoned luggage, unidentifiable substances, and pressure cookers to authorities multiple times a day, according to the NYPD. Citizen alerts users about these investigations when officers from the NYPD’s Emergency Service Unit (ESU) respond, indicating that there may be a potential threat.

Suspicious package investigations prompt street closures, massive police responses, and hours-long evacuations. And often times, very little information is shared with people in the area. These are situations where Citizen users become an invaluable resource to their communities.

On Sunday morning (May 6th, 2018), a 911 caller reported seeing what they described as a thermometer protruding from an object wrapped in foil near Brooklyn’s Prospect Park.

Six Citizen users went live, broadcasting real-time video from well behind police lines in designated safe zones. These videos provided the Citizen community with up-to-the-second updates.

Here’s what we learned from Citizen user videos:

1. ESU personnel, FDNY firefighters, NYPD officers, and the NYPD’s Bomb Squad were on scene.
2. The evacuated area covered the Bartel-Pritchard Square Greenmarket, affecting vendors and shoppers.
3. Neighbors reported the exact location of the device to be near Connecticut Muffin.
4. Police rerouted pedestrian and vehicular traffic, securing the area until the Bomb Squad arrived.
5. Citizen user sypremeks recorded a Bomb Squad officer getting into full protective gear.
6. Citizen user td591 verified that the package was deemed safe as the police tape was taken down and emergency units left the scene.

We introduced our Citizen Communities feature just last week, and this active engagement from our users demonstrates the importance of building your safety network to protect your neighbors.

Here’s the full story: https://i.citizen.com/-LBpcs7ZzvrCqDv56Iji

We’d love to hear your feedback. Send us an email at support@citizen.com.