Reward Offered For Information As Investigation Into Linden Suspicious Package Continues

LINDEN, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- Authorities in New Jersey were trying Wednesday to figure out who was behind a scare triggered by a suspicious package that led to a major police response, street closures and building evacuations in Linden, New Jersey.

As CBS2's Andrea Grymes reported, the device looked like an explosive -- but it turned out not to be real. Nonetheless, it rattled a lot of nerves.

Convenience store owner Kash Patel said his worker and a group of kids noticed some kind of device near the pay phone in the parking lot off West St. George Avenue around 6 p.m. Tuesday.

"Thank God nothing happened," he told CBS2's Grymes. "Scary."

The Union County Prosecutor's Office said the suspicious object was a hoax device. It was designed to resemble an explosive.

Still, it set off an enormous FBI response in front of the Quick Buy Food Store.

"It looked like a bomb," Mayor Derek Armstead said at the scene Tuesday night. "It looked like a very authentic device and anytime you have a situation like this and a device as such we have to take every necessary precaution."

Police evacuated nearly 200 residents from two nearby nearby apartment buildings as a precaution.

"I'm getting ready to go to sleep and he's banging on the door, so I'm answering it, he says, 'You got to leave the building; your life is in danger,'" said evacuated resident Anthony Smith. "I said, 'What's going on?' He said, 'Just leave the building.'"

"Who could possibly do that, why?" resident Thamar Joseph told WCBS 880's Alex Silverman. "Why here? What is the purpose of this?"

"My wife was real nervous about it, ya know," said evacuated resident Paul Balicki. "You never know what's going to happen."

Around 8:30 p.m., police said the Union County bomb squad "disrupted" the device and found it did not contain any explosives. They later gave the all clear.

The mayor said the hoax is another frightening scare for those who live in Linden, which is the same community where Chelsea and Seaside Park bombing suspect Ahmad Rahimi was arrested last September about a mile and a half away.

"Anytime you have an event like this, it disrupts the lives of our residents, requires a tremendous amount of resources to respond to," said Armstead. "It's just a shame that we live in a society now where people think that's acceptable practice."

Residents who were evacuated were allowed to return home. No injuries were reported. Authorities said investigators looked for other devices, but found none.

Local authorities are offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to an arrest and indictment, Grymes reported. Anyone with information is asked to call (908) 474-8537.