Morton Government Center Evacuated–State Police Bomb Squad Responds –City Employees Return To Work

Roughly 250 city employees inside the Morton Government Center, 999 Broad Street Downtown, were evacuated Wednesday morning after a package containing a grenade was discovered around 11 a.m. Police spokesman Bill Kaempffer reports the State Police Bomb Squad was on the scene. The city employees were transported to nearby Housatonic Community College and returned to work within two hours.

The Morton Government Center, formerly known as the City Hall Annex, contains the offices of the executive branch such as the Mayor’s Office and Economic Development, as well as Registrar Of Voters Office, Vital Statistics and Probate.

News release from Kaempffer:

City Hall Annex was evacuated for more than two hours after the police Internal Affairs office received a suspicious package.

Approximately 250 employees were evacuated from 999 Broad Street, which formally is known as the Margaret E. Morton Government Center. The two-story building houses city government offices.

According to police, the item arrived shortly before 11 a.m. An unknown individual approached a person outside the building, asked him to deliver a package to the Office of Internal Affairs and stated that they were expecting it. The man obliged.

The item appeared to be a cup of coffee in a “to-go” cup with a lid.

On closer inspection, however, investigators from OIA discovered that the cup actually contained what appeared to be a hand grenade.

The State Police bomb squad responded and removed the item.

The Bridgeport Detective Bureau then took over the scene to collect evidence and interview witnesses who might help identity the unknown male.

“We are actively investigating this as a criminal act,” said Police Chief Joseph L. Gaudett Jr.