Package containing fake explosive prompts street closures and evacuations in Costa Mesa
A device intended to look like an explosive was discovered outside a Costa Mesa business Tuesday morning, prompting street closures and evacuations in the area, according to authorities.
Police believe the item was part of a hoax.
Employees at an office near Paularino and Red Hill avenues called police around 9:15 a.m. when they found a suspicious package in front of their workplace, Costa Mesa police Sgt. Jerry Souza said. Police declined to identify the business.
Souza wouldn’t describe the package in detail, but he said employees opened it and found something inside that “closely resembled” an explosive.
Authorities cordoned off the surrounding streets and asked businesses within 100 yards to evacuate, according to police.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Department bomb squad responded and determined the device was fake, Souza said.
Police reopened the area by about 12:15 p.m., but the investigation into who left the package is continuing, Souza said.
Souza said investigators don’t know whether the office was specifically targeted.
Twitter: @jeremiahdobruck
