Crime & Safety

Ross Park Mall Reopens at 11 a.m. after Bomb Threat Delays Normal Business

Mall officials announced through their Facebook page at about 10:45 a.m. that mall employees could return to work.

Nothing was found this morning at the Ross Park Mall after  and Allegheny County Police spent several hours investigating a bomb threat. 

The mall was evacuated and police and security personnel blocked access to it for several hours Wednesday morning after the threat was discovered at about 5:50 a.m.

The mall reopened at 11 a.m. Employees were told to return to work at about 10:45 am.

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"We want to assure customers and employees that every precaution was taken, the situation was addressed and Ross Township Police have determined there was never any danger or device at the mall," Ross Park Mall spokesman Saul Markowitz said in an emailed statement.

Although police said there was never a legitimate threat to the public or the mall, police and canine units stayed in the area after the mall opened.

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The evacuation began after a mall employee found a note on a wall in one of the mall's public restrooms with the bomb threat, according to Ross Park Mall spokesman Saul Markowitz and Ross Police Det. Brian Kohlhepp. 

Details about the note are not being released, said Kohlhepp, the Ross Police spokesman. 

"We're not getting into specifics on the note," Kohlhepp said. 

The mall regularly opens at 10 a.m. It employs about 3,000. 

Mall officials lett employees know when to return to work through the mall's Facebook page and the media. Employees gathered at the  Bread restaurant on McKnight and the parking lot of across from the mall's entrance, while they awaited news. 

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