While the package found at Newark Liberty International Airport proved to be innocuous, it tested of the emergency response of several agencies.
And after an initial post mortum, Union County Police Chief Dan Vaniska thinks his bomb sqaud did it by the book.
"I am hoping they're watching because they'll see that Union county is prepared," said Chief Vaniska after five members of his bomb squad responded to a cargo hangar at the airport and checked the package out.
He described it as a 'soft' package used for sending papers, about the size of a large envelope.
Along with his bomb squad unit, 4 members of the Union County Emergency Management Hazmat team also responded to provide "radiological detection equipment," said Director Chistopher Scaturo.
"We assist them in getting dressed and they went in and searched and x-rayed the package," said Scaturo.
The question at first was if this was just a dry run.
But now, after explosive material was found in packages overseas, it is possible these other reports involving 'dummy' packages may have been intended to distract authorities.
Either way, the first responders from Union County appeared to be ready.
"Each callout is a test of the system and we try to learn from each one," said Andrew Moran, Public Safety Director for the county.
Just two weeks ago, there was a major exercise at the airport's Terminal B involving a scenario simulating an actual explosion of a homemade bomb.
Freeholder Chairman Dan Sullivan said "9-11 isn't a distant memory around here. We always remember it, always, and we're prepared."
