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Video: NYPD Officers Lauded for Protecting Public from Suspected Bomb

Two NYPD officers on patrol in busy Times Square raced to get the public out of harm's way Wednesday night after someone threw a suspected bomb into their van, the Department says.

July 22, 2016
Video: NYPD Officers Lauded for Protecting Public from Suspected Bomb

 

2 min to read


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Two NYPD officers on patrol in busy Times Square raced to get the public out of harm's way Wednesday night after someone threw a suspected bomb into their van, the Department says.

The NYPD bomb squad later gave the device an all-clear and no one was harmed in the incident, officials told PIX 11.

Sgt. Hameed Armani and Officer Peter Cybulski, both assigned to Times Square Unit, were parked on Broadway at Duffy Square around 11:30 p.m. on Wednesday when a person inside a dark-colored SUV tossed a device on the van's dashboard, police say.

After the officers saw the device start to "flash" and make "clicking" sounds, the officers made the decision to drive away from Times Square as quickly as possible to an area where there would be less pedestrian and vehicle traffic.

Armani drove their van, sirens flashing, eastbound to 46th Street and Sixth Avenue, the officer said. The two officers spent the drive saying their prayers with the intention of getting the device out of harms way, Armani said.

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Once they stopped, Cybulski proceeded to pick it up and hand it to Armani who took it from the van and put it on the sidewalk away from the public and buildings.

When both NYPD members were a safe distance away, they requested bomb squad.

Hector Meneses was arrested and faces multiple charge related to the incident, including reckless endangerment, falsely reporting an incident, placing a false bomb/hazmat, false bomb/hazmat in a sub mall/arena, making terroristic threat, criminal possession of a weapon, menacing, false reporting incident under fire, false reporting incident under emergency, and resisting arrest.


 

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