Willow Glen Resident

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Bomb threat at federal building ends when police blow up bag

By Monica Heger

A bomb scare rattled employees at the San Jose federal building on April 13. After an employee found a suspicious bag, the police bomb squad was called in and eventually blew the bag up.

The bag was found around 1 p.m. on the First Street side of the building with a suspicious note attached, according to San Jose Police Sgt. Nick Muyo. The side of the building was cleared for three hours.

The police bomb squad could not determine whether any explosives were in the bag, but Muyo said between 3:30 and 4 p.m., officers decided to "err on the side of safety and went ahead and detonated it."

At 4:20 p.m., the building was deemed safe for employees to return.

Pedestrian, vehicular and VTA traffic were affected during this time as First Street was closed between San Carlos and Paseo de San Antonio streets and pedestrian traffic was diverted. Light rail service was stopped on San Carlos Street, and buses that run along San Carlos Street were rerouted onto Third Street.

Muyo said he does not believe that the bag contained explosives. There are no suspects, and no one was injured.