PHOTOS & VIDEO [UPDATED] The County Sheriffs Office has been called in for a suspicious suitcase found in the Shoprite Plaza. Police have closed off the area in front of Shoprite after locating the suitcase in the parking lot. The Lakewood Fire Department as well as Lakewood EMS are standing by at the scene.
UPDATE: The County Sheriff’s Department has cleared the scene. The suitcase turned out to be empty.
oops thats my laundry
About time the sheriff comes to lakewood. It would be nice to see more of them
Um…. excuse me but it looked like Lakewood EMS was present not Lakewood First Aid. Good job Lakewood EMS keep up the good work.
Yet another overreaction that ties up the resources of emergency services. Not every unattended bag is a bomb, as a matter of fact like 99.9% are not. If I reacted this way for every unattended bag I came across then I could never leave my home.
the township, police and hazmat have to calm down. every day incidents are occuring with “suspicious packages”. its gotten out of control
I hope the day never comes that one of these packages are a real bomb but in this day and age after 9/11 and Oklahoma City you can NEVER be too careful the Lakewood might not be a terrorist hot spot but you don’t often hear about there test bombs they set off in small towns to see what the effectiveness is not to mention the diversity of Lakewood alone lends it self to terrorism.
to # 6 I agree with you. the diversity of Lakewood could be a target. You never know.
Here is a statement that is very true, this is why first responders react and handle the call the way they do.
“We get a lot of suspicious item calls or suspicious package calls and in those instances we treat them as if they’re real. You have to. In a lot of ways, it’s a bomb or an explosive until the bomb tech says it’s not.”
Please people stop bashing these responders, support them and let them do their job they are only trying to protect all of us!
@4 IMO You should change your handle to “Fantasy”. 99.9% percent not a bomb? How about Ricin or Anthrax or Ammonium Nitrate. What if, according to your astute scientific statistics, you’d be the %.1? Woudn’t that make it %100 for you. Or do you just do things 99.9%? Please whatever you do, don’t drive or invent anything, as you say, “I could never leave my home”. Change “could” to “should” because you shouldn’t be on the road. Would you drive in a car that was 99.9% safe when the way less than %.01 wrong is your brake bulbs don’t work or that little screw in your transmission fell out. Too many birds on your antenna.
@5 Submit your resume to DHS. Make sure you include your dangerous and ill-conceived policy recommendations. They just may put you on the no-fly list. All you need is the one day incident. 2001 had 365 days. Figure out the statistics and wake up.
You should all be THANKING the people that protect you instead of bashing them from your armchair or high-chair. G-d bless the responders and those who train them who are always 1000% and more.
Thank you for your comment. It was very well articulated and it is very unfortunate that in today’s day and age people can be so laissez-faire with regard to security.
To commentators #4 and #5 I say: G-d Bless the vigilant person that “saw something and said something.” a suitcase does not belong in a parking lot. Thank Goodness most people are vigilant and will report suspicious activity. Did you ever hear the phrase: better safe than sorry.
Are you fellows for real?!!
I am reminded of my dear grandmother, a”h who used to say: “Saychel is a tayereh zach”. Loosely translated from Yiddish: “Common sense is an expensive commodity”. How right she was. Some people, are sadly so clueless. Are you fellows aware that we live in 2011?. Are you aware of current events?
I hope Ron B.’s eloquent post woke you up to the unfortunate realities of life in the 21st Century.
So this is the third time in how many days did the k9 have to be called in? When is LPD going to have there own K9 unit? Ridiculous!
@1
Empty suitcase. Your laundry? Are you the legendary “Invisible Man”?
Oh and this is the second suspicious package found in Shop Rite parking lot so people be be aware this is most likely a test from someone to see if its reported and how long it sits before its reported so be diligent and if something is left like a suit case please for your safety and everyone in the area report it.
Lakewood is a terrorist hot spot. Wake up. Or just keep your head in the sand.
#5 & #11 please post your name and address so that the police department can call you directly instead of a K9 since you know so much about. IED’s
Packages like this have to be treated as if they were dangerous. Who knows if someone is testing the police, fire, and emergency responders to see how they handle the situation. The pictures on this page show that it doesnt seem to have been taken seriously-the crime scene tape was set up pretty close to the package. The whole parking lot should have been evacuated. You cant take that chance that it is not real. Remember-there are home grown terrorists out there also. I know if I am in the area where a suspicious package is left I am going to be FAR away.