Statue Of Liberty, Liberty Island Reopen After Bomb Scare

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The Statue of Liberty and Liberty Island reopened to tourists Saturday morning after a major security scare.

Thousands of people were forced to evacuate Friday after a second bomb threat in two days was made.

As CBS2's Ilana Gold reported, the ferries leaving Battery Park were running again Saturday, as hundreds of people were lining up to visit the Statue of Liberty.

A lot of them returned after their trips to Liberty Island were canceled Friday because of the threat.

Police were on high alert Saturday to make sure everyone is safe. The NYPD was at Battery Park with bomb-sniffing dogs checking the ferries before they departed.

Lisa from Boston said she wasn't concerned about the security scare.

"Anxious to just get over there and see the sights," she said.

Lisa and her family were evacuated from the island Friday because of the bomb threat.

Sources told CBS2 someone made prerecorded calls to 911 threatening to blow up the Statue of Liberty. Police say Friday morning's call used a computer-generated voice and suspect it was made on a phone typically used by a person who is hearing impaired.

Police are trying to trace the threatening phone calls to determine who was behind them.

The voice on the line referenced something inside a locker at the federal landmark.

Nearly 3,000 tourists were forced to leave immediately. They packed onto boats back to land.

"Security came up to us," one woman said. "They said you need to evacuate immediately. They would not give us any details."

Many tourists were frustrated about their abruptly canceled plans, saying they didn't even know what prompted the evacuation.

"No announcement, nothing," one man said.

After police cleared out the island, they brought out the canines. The bomb-sniffing dogs picked up a scent from a locker by the gift shop, but nothing turned up.

Investigators believe the dogs may have detected traces of gunpowder, possibly from a visitor's bag.

On Saturday, everyone was hoping their trip to Liberty Island will be disruption-free.

"Just looking forward to a nice day," Lisa said.