Local Bomb Claim Causes Evacuation; Driver Hospitalized

The Hartford bomb squad evacuated a portion of Bloomfield Avenue in Windsor Tuesday afternoon after responding to a report of a tractor trailer containing explosives.

According to Windsor Police Capt. Tom LePore, the driver of the truck, carrying cargo destined for Windsor, went into the Sunoco gas station off of I-91's exit 37, "acted erratically" and claimed his truck was carrying explosives.

Having been notified of the driver's claims, Windsor police shut down the immediate area, closing on and off-ramps to Bloomfield Avenue, evacuating a magnet school and office buildings in the immediate area, and closing a section the street to traffic.

Windsor police called the Hartford bomb squad, which investigated the truck's cargo, cab and exterior, but found no explosives.

According to LePore, officers questioned the driver and, coupled with his erratic behavior, have concluded that the report of explosives were the byproduct of "mental issues."

LePore added that the driver, whose truck actually contained mail products destined for Direct Mail on Marshall Phelps Road, was transported to St. Francis Hospital for a psychological evaluation.

The department is not releasing the driver's name, but LePore said he worked for JSR Trucking out of Indiana and departed from Indiana sometime Monday.

No charges have been filed and the department is treating the incident as a medical situation, according to LePore.