False Bomb Threat at Statue of Liberty Forces Mass Evacuation

In a scary moment Friday, the Statue of Liberty and Liberty Island in New York City were evacuated after officials received a bomb threat. Thankfully, the New York police Department's bomb squad cleared the area and determined the threat was a hoax.

According to Ray Sanchez and Shimon Prokupecz of CNN.com, the National Park Service found out from a 911 operator that someone called at around 11 a.m. ET and threatened to blow up the Statue of Liberty.

Evacuations began immediately and all civilians were asked to leave the island. Only emergency personnel were allowed to remain during the investigation and all ferry services were suspended until the situation was handled.

The NYPD's First Precinct and island visitor Rick Borgmeyer shared images and details of the evacuation process:

All civilians have been evacuated from #LibertyIsland. Emergency personnel only. #NYPD BOMB SQUAD moving in. pic.twitter.com/2tcHSreA3B

- NYPD 1st Precinct (@NYPD1Pct) April 24, 2015

Waiting to be evacuated off #libertyisland. Interesting. pic.twitter.com/C0WAdbZRyB

- Rick Borgmeyer (@flyingtigers) April 24, 2015

At around 2 p.m., the bomb squad discovered no evidence of explosives in the locker area where the dogs had been alerted, according to CNN.com.

The official website of the National Park Service has announced that the Liberty Island will be closed for the rest of the day and that visitors who already purchased ferry tickets from Statue Cruises can re-book their trip.

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