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Suspicious Package That Caused Evacuation Turned Out To Be Roll Of Sheet Metal In Backpack, Glassboro Police Say

GLASSBORO, N.J. (CBS) - Residents in Glassboro, New Jersey are allowed back inside their homes after a suspicious package, which turned out to be a roll of sheet metal in a backpack, prompted an evacuation order Wednesday morning. At around 6:15 a.m., police ordered the evacuation of homes and buildings within 1,000 feet from Baldwin Road and MacClelland Avenue, after a woman called police to report a suspicious bag out front of her house.

Unable to tell what it was right away, police did the full protocol for a possible bomb. Local, county, state and federal agencies investigated the bag.

"The resident went out and picked it up, felt that it had a large object in it that was heavy, and for some reason they assumed that it might have been a pressure cooker-type of device. Our officers responded out here on scene, evacuated the area by protocol, and then called the appropriate authorities to try to mitigate the situation. Local, state, federal and county agencies came out by protocol and followed what they needed to do," said Glassboro Police Chief John Polillo.

The evacuation order was lifted around 10:50 a.m. Police say the item turned out to be a roll of sheet metal of some kind in a backpack.

Students at Bullock School were transported to Glassboro High School while police investigated. The students will now be transported back to complete their day.

The Glassboro Intermediate School were asked to shelter in place. The shelter in place order there has now been lifted.

The incident caused the closure of Baldwin Road between Fishpond Road and New Street. The streets have since reopened.

Eventually authorities were able to determine what was in the bag and decided it was not dangerous. The all clear was declared around 10:45 a.m. and residents were able to go home.

"It was not a device, it looks to be some type of large metal roll, possibly sheet metal, that may belong to somebody else and it may have been dropped there," said Polillo.

The resident who reported the suspicious bag did not want to speak on camera, but did say she was relieved there was not a bomb in front of her home.

CBS3's Cleve Bryan contributed to this report.

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