A suspicious package found in the basement of a residence hall on the University Park campus, which caused the evacuation of about 600 students and the closure of several roads, has been identified as a "hoax," according to University Police.
The device, a plastic water bottle with cylinders duck-taped to its sides and wires protruding from it, was found by a maintenance worker around 9:30 p.m. in a janitorial closet in Atherton Hall on Shortlidge Road. As a precautionary measure, police ordered the evacuation of the building. Students were relocated to the Hetzel Union Building and a text message was sent to the University community telling people to avoid the building.
As bomb technicians inspected and x-rayed the device, several unidentified students approached police and said the device belonged to them. Police are currently questioning the students.
Shortlidge Road and a section of Pollock Road on campus were both closed to traffic. Police have re-opened the roadways and expect to re-open the building shortly, following the completion of a quick search by a bomb-sniffing dog. More information on this incident will be available in the coming days as police continue the investigation.