Police Give ‘All Clear' After Probing Suspicious Newark Car

Robot examining vehicle parked near overpass that serves Amtrak, NJ Transit trains

Police in New Jersey's largest city say a car parked near a railroad overpass did not contain a bomb.

The Dodge Omni was parked about six car lengths from a railroad overpass in Newark that serves Amtrak and NJ Transit trains. The trains are still running.

A few police cars were first seen around the car at around 11:30 a.m. today, said local residents. By 1 p.m. there were at least nine police cars on the scene.  By 1:45 p.m. bomb squad technicians in full gear had backed away and two robots were examining the vehicle.

The all clear was given around 2:20 pm.

Newark Police Director Garry McCarthy said police found two gasoline canisters sitting on top of a tool box inside the car.

There were wires protruding from the tool box and a battery pack nearby but nothing was connected. McCarthy said: "At this point we know it's not a bomb.''

But McCarthy said authorities do not know why the car was there or whether it might have been a hoax.

Police said authorities have identified the owner of the auto through motor vehicle records and are attempting to contact that person. Police did not release the owner's name or place of residence.

Last month, 30-year-old Faisal Shahzad pleaded guilty to a failed bombing attempt using a sport utility vehicle rigged with a homemade bomb in Times Square on May 1.

Shahzad was arrested as he tried to leave the country on a Dubai-bound flight. He said he had trained with Pakistani Taliban leaders and had planned a revenge attack in the U.S.

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