Police Detonate Suspicious Package Near Meriden School

MERIDEN, CT - A suspicious package was found in the area of Israel Putnam Elementary School Thursday morning, NBC is reporting. State police later determined that the item was a pressure cooker and not a bomb.

The pressure cooker was detonated in a secure area around 10:30 a.m., according to NBC. All students and staff have been reported safe.

The item was found less than a block away from the school at around 7:45 a.m. at Parker Avenue and Markham Place, according to the Meriden Record-Journal . A shelter-in-place order was enacted for the schools and surrounding homes during the incident. The shelter-in-place was lifted at 10:50 a.m. and parents began taking their children home.

Some parents were critical of how the district situation handled and the situation, saying that people were permitted to pass police tape without presenting ID, the Hartford Courant reported. To sign up for Meriden breaking news alerts and more, click here.

Police said that the pressure cooker may have been accidentally discarded.

Pressure cookers have been used as improvised explosive devices in incidents such as the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing and the 2006 Mumbai train bombing.

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