Stuffed Animals, Trash In 'Suspicious Package' Snarls Rt. 287 Traffic, Cops Say

A suspicious package on the side of Route 287 snarled traffic for hours Monday morning, but only proved to be filled with odds and ends, and even trash, according to the New Jersey State Police.

A department of transportation worker spotted the suitcase on an exit ramp and moved it to the median, Sgt. Jeff Flynn told Patch. He then notified police about the suspicious package and the state’s bomb unit was deployed in the area of mile marker 42.

Once authorities were able to gain access to the package, they found stuffed animals and trash inside, Flynn said. At that point the package was deemed as no threat and the road was reopened after a two-hour closure, Flynn said.

Rt. 287 was closed between exits 39 and 43 during that time, snarling traffic for hours.