Object thrown at NYPD patrol car, bomb squad called

On Thursday morning, police stopped a man suspected of throwing the device into the police auto. A man known to officers had previously contacted the department about several doors to security boxes that he recovered when the Bank of America closed down.

Police have not yet said what exactly was thrown. As the suspect fled in a vehicle, officer Peter Cybulski and Sgt. Hameed Armani quickly drove their van out of the busy Times Square area to limit the potential harm, according to the NYPD.

“We’re gonna go, but I’m not going to have anybody else go with us”, Armani recalled thinking at the time, according to ABC News. “We thought, ‘This is it, we’re not going to make it, but I’m happy no one else is going to get hurt, ‘” Armani said.

“Upon stopping the SUV, a male driver was observed placing a red plastic helmet on his head”, said NYPD Chief of Department James O’Neill, describing the moment Meneses was found. “The male did not communicate with the officers, who then called for backup”.

The man suspected of throwing the suspicious package was taken into custody this morning at Columbus Circle, about 10 blocks north of Times Square, after a standoff with police from inside his van.

“These two officers are heroes of the NYPD, heroes of New York City”, Bratton said.

They drove their van, sirens flashing, east to 46th Street and Sixth Avenue; once stopped, Cybulski, who said at the press conference that he was “nervous”, picked up the device and handed it to Armani, who took it from the van and put it on the sidewalk, not near any people or buildings.

The standoff ended around 8 a.m. after police sent a robot to check out the vehicle because they didn’t know what was inside it. After an hours-long standoff and a bomb squad evaluation, police made a decision to extricate the suspect.

Police say the device appears to be a flashlight and candle wrapped in tin foil. The reason for the stretcher was not immediately clear. “We come to work everyday not knowing, quite literally, what will be thrown at us”.

“I looked around and saw kids and young people”.

“I’m so proud of him and so so thankful to God it wasn’t a real bomb”, she said. “It’s a good day”.