All Clear After Stoneham Suspicious Package Prompts Evacuations, Road Closure

STONEHAM, MA — Stoneham first responders thanked residents, business owners and fellow first responders on Tuesday, hours after a suspicious package prompted an investigation, road closures and evacuations in part of Stoneham.

The State Police bomb squad gave an "all clear" around 9:30 a.m., according to state Department of Fire Services spokesperson Jake Wark and a joint statement from Stoneham Police Chief James McIntyre and Fire Chief Matthew Grafton.

First calls came in just before 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday, with police and fire personnel then responding to the Mobile gas station at the intersection of Main Street, South Street and North Border Road in Stoneham. There, Tuesday’s joint statement said, officials opted to bring in State Police aid while evacuating some nearby homes.

On examination, Wark said, bomb squad personnel determined that the object was a battery pack assembly, posing no risk to the public.

Police closed portions of Main Street, South Street, North Boarder Road and Fellsway on Tuesday while crews completed their initial investigation at the gas station. Those roadways reopened around 9:30 a.m., according to the Stoneham police and fire departments, after State Police found no threat.

"I want to thank the residents and business owners in the area for their patience, as we had to close streets and evacuate nearby homes to ensure that there was no threat to public safety," McIntyre said on Tuesday afternoon.

Grafton similarly thanked the State Police bomb squad and other responding State Police troopers.

He continued, thanking Stoneham responders as well as firefighters from the Wakefield Fire Department, who provided station coverage mutual aid in Stoneham while local crews responded to this suspicious package.