Times Square Evacuated

[Powder]

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/...treet_and.html

A small white cooler left unattended in midtown forced police to evacuate two blocks near crowded Times Square on a sunny Friday afternoon.

The report of a suspicious package - the second of the day in the tourist-heavy neighborhood - came in around 12:45 p.m. at Broadway and W. 46th St., police said.

With tensions still high after last weekend's failed terror attack, the cooler left beneath a bench drew a rapid response, police said.

The section of W. 45th St. between 7th and 8th Aves. was shut down, along with 7th Ave. between 45th and 46th Sts.

A short time earlier, police responded to another suspicious package report on 8th Ave. and 45th St. - near where accused bomber Faisal Shahzad parked his explosives-laden SUV.

The package turned out to be someone's lunch, police said.

NYPD Commissioner Raymond Kelly said the number of reported suspicious packages was up about 30% since last Saturday's botched bombing.

There were 145 calls on Thursday alone, Kelly said, up from the typical 90-100 per day.

According to calls from pedestrians, men in hasmat suits have been confirmed on site as well as the hostage negotiation team. Bomb sqaud has just arrived...

I lived in NY for almost my entire life, I hate this.