Man Starts Hours-Long Standoff in New York After Throwing Fake Bomb at Police Car

A New York City man reportedly started an hours-long standoff after tossing a fake bomb at a police car late Wednesday night.

Image via Stefano Ravalli

A New York City man reportedly tossed a fake bomb into a police van late last night, putting Columbus Circle on lockdown for hours until he was successfully taken into custody.

The uniformed Sergeant and a Police Officer were in the car when the suspect threw an explosive-like device in around 11:30 p.m., according to a statement from NYPD. They quickly drove the vehicle away to a less-crowded public area and recovered a "candle, a cylindrical object and an electric component with a flashing red light," the statement said. They alerted the NYPD bomb squad, which determined the device was not a threat around 1:10 a.m. 

The suspect, which PIX11 News is naming as 52-year-old Hector Meneses from Queens returned to the scene around 2:10 a.m. and was pulled over by police. He then barricaded himself in his SUV, refused to talk to authorities, and threatened to kill himself, detective Bill Aubrey told CBSLocal. The detective said at that point the suspect “rolls up the window, puts his hands towards the glove compartment and says that he wants to die and has a bomb strapped to his vest.”

“He puts on a red, EMS-type helmet, it’s like a construction helmet, on his head and he continues to display erratic behavior in that ‘I have a bomb strapped to me, I want to die,’” Aubry said.

As the situation unfolded, the city shut down all subway service to Columbus Circle. It continued until 8 a.m., with negotiators at one point attempting to contact the suspect with a robot that could provide them with audio and video.

From #columbuscircle. Incident involved NYPD units @NYPDCTB @NYPDSpecialops patrol  @NYPDDetectives HNT +more pic.twitter.com/zcK1FCsNfg

Meneses surrendered shortly before 8 a.m. on Thursday and was taken to the hospital for evaluation. The police determined there were no other explosives in the area. 

All clear by the bomb squad after a suspicious object was thrown at a police car. @NYPDMTN pic.twitter.com/yOsg14RTl7

Latest in Life