Abandoned Bag Sparks 'False Alarm' at Train Station

Numerous police agencies responded to a report of an abandoned bag left at the Chatham Train Station Thursday.

Police Chief Phil Crosson said all departments responded "based on our protocol for this kind of thing," which is to treat any abandoned package as a potential threat.

"It really fortunately was a false alarm," Crosson said. "Someone was being observant and noticed this package looked out of place."

Crosson said he responded to the scene at about 11:30 a.m. "Everybody came out and did their jobs, and we were able to clear it out in a relatively short period of time."

The area around the train station was cleared by about 1:30 p.m.

Crosson said with unattended items left in public spaces, "you just don't know anymore," and first responders have to proceed with the utmost caution.

"I'm glad someone took the time to be observant and make the call. It falls along the lines [of] the Homeland Security message, 'If you see something, say something.' This is an example of how it works. Somebody saw something out of place and reported it," Crosson said.

The Morris County Prosecutors Office was not immediately available for comment.

At the scene were: the Chatham Borough Police, Chatham Borough Fire Department, Chatham Emergency Squad, New Jersey Transit Police, Morris County Prosecutor's Office and the Morris County Sheriff's Office.

Chatham Patch will update this story as further information becomes available.