2 suspicious packages cause evacuations in Cape May, NJ

Two suspicious packages discovered in Cape May late Monday afternoon caused a busy section of the city to be briefly evacuated.

Officials in the seaside resort say at about 5:30, officers were called to Ocean and Washington Streets where they found a package that met their criteria to be considered suspicious and people were ordered to leave the area.

As several other law enforcement agencies arrived, a second, separate package was found nearby that was similar in appearance to the first one.

After the second package was discovered, authorities expanded the evacuation zone and officers performed a detailed sweep of a nearby pedestrian mall.

The Atlantic City Police Department's bomb squad eventually arrived and after a briefing and investigation, both packages were deemed to not be threats, and the area was declared safe.

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The Cape May Police Department says they are continuing to investigate the incident and, as always, if you see something, say something.

Our citizens and visitors are often the first to identify hazards and their vigilance assists in keeping our community safe.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call (609) 884-9500.