Bomb Threat at Westwood K-Mart Bogus, Police Say

The Westwood K-Mart was evacuated for about an hour Wednesday afternoon while police searched the store for a bomb, according to Westwood Police Det. Sgt. Rod Fortunat.

The store received an anonymous call at about 2:24 p.m. saying that "something was going to go boom" in the store, according to Fortunat. The caller was not specific about the type of bomb or its location, he said.

Police evacuated the K-Mart and other nearby stores while the Bergen County Police Bomb Squad and K-9 Unit searched the site. No explosives were found and the stores reopened.

The phone number of the caller could not immediately be traced, Fortunat said.

"This seems to be somebody playing a prank on the store," he said.

The incident was likely not related to one in late 2011 when a man caused a scare by asking a customer at the same store what would happen if a bomb was inside, according to Fortunat. It was more likely inspired by the recent bombing at the Boston Marathon, he said.

The K-Mart also "had a string of bomb threats" about 20 years ago, Fortunat said.

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