Bomb Scare in Midtown Manhattan (Updated)
Tip! "There is some sort of bomb scare on 51st & park. They closed down the street and put police tape around this sweet black Mercedes. They also blew out the tires. We are not aloud [sic] to leave the building."
Update: Another person just sent us a pic of the car in question. "I was just evacuated," the tipster reports. Click the photo to enlarge.
Update 2: The NY Daily News says that the police blocked off the streets and called in the bomb squad after someone called them to report a suspicious car: "The call came in at about 3:30 p.m., when someone noticed the black Mercedes Benz had been sitting in front of the Waldorf-Astoria for hours near E. 51st St., police said."
Update 3: Another tipster sends the photo below and writes, "We did hear a small 'boom' but think that's when they took out the tires. Not a great snap on the crackberry but they're stripping that car right down."
Update 4: All clear! The NYPD has reopened Park Avenue after shutting down 10 blocks of Midtown for more than an hour.
Update 5: A reader emailed a short clip of the police activity earlier today. (It's below.) The tipster adds: "I heard controlled explosions. Then the cops and detectives looked at the bits and bobs they pulled from the Mercedes."
[There was a video here]