---
title: "A Bomb Hoax Locked Down New York’s Columbus Circle All Night"
description: "A man tossed a dummy bomb into a police van, then barricaded himself in a Chrysler Aspen."
date: "2016-07-21"
modified: "2016-07-21"
authors:
  - name: "Aaron Brown"
    job_title: "Staff Editor"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/aaron-brown"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/4510/a-bomb-hoax-locked-down-new-yorks-columbus-circle-all-night"
categories:
  - "News"
tags:
  - "Bomb"
  - "New York"
---

# A Bomb Hoax Locked Down New York’s Columbus Circle All Night

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/archive-images/072116-columbus-circle-bomb-scare-hero.jpg>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

A man was taken into custody Thursday morning following an all night stand-off that began when the suspect threw a "make-shift device" into a police van in Times Square. After fleeing the highly populated area, the man hid in his vehicle at [New York's Columbus Circle](<https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/NYC-Bomb-Squad-Called-Object-Suspicious-Device-Thrown-at-NYPD-Car-387726051.html>) Thursday, telling officers he had explosives at the ready. Ultimately, the man was not in possession of any explosive devices.

A sergeant and [an officer with the New York Police Department](<https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20160721/times-square-theater-district/nypd-shuts-down-columbus-circle-after-man-throws-fake-bomb-at-police>) were in a marked police van in the middle of Times Square last night when a man—[later identified as 52-year-old Hector Meneses](<https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-crime/cops-standoff-man-vehicle-columbus-circle-article-1.2719710>)—threw what appeared to be a bomb into the vehicle, *DNAInfo* reports. After observing the object clicking and blinking, the police drove away from the densely-populated to minimize any potential injury. However, the object was deemed a hoax by the [NYPD bomb squad](<https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20160721/times-square-theater-district/nypd-shuts-down-columbus-circle-after-man-throws-fake-bomb-at-police>).

Hours later, the suspect was found inside his [2008 Chrysler Aspen SUV](<https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-crime/cops-standoff-man-vehicle-columbus-circle-article-1.2719710>) less than 20 blocks north in the Columbus Circle area. [James O'Neill, NYPD's Chief of Department](<https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20160721/times-square-theater-district/nypd-shuts-down-columbus-circle-after-man-throws-fake-bomb-at-police>), told reporters when police approached him, the man donned a red plastic helmet and refused to respond to officer's commands. Meneses [told officers he had explosives](<https://twitter.com/NYPDnews/status/756104837230653440>) inside the car, which prompted a full, armored vehicle response from the bomb squad and the Emergency Service Unit. ([Video captured by on-scene responders](<https://twitter.com/NYPDnews/status/756105390455132160>) shows the unidentified "bomb.") After almost six hours of standoff, officers decided to remove Meneses from the vehicle.

https://twitter.com/_/status/756094633298563078

https://twitter.com/_/status/756105862285037568

No one was injured as [Meneses was put on a stretcher](<https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-crime/cops-standoff-man-vehicle-columbus-circle-article-1.2719710>) and taken into police custody. The man had no prior arrests and no history of psychotic behavior, the *New York Daily News* reports. A preliminary search of his vehicle yielded no weapons or explosive material.

## Author
Aaron was previously a contributing writer with Jalopnik and has also written for Business Insider covering cars. When he's not in the office writing the news, you'll probably find him thrashing a beater car around a RallyCross.

### Author social links  
[Instagram](<https://instagram.com/aaronmaxb>)  
[Twitter](<https://twitter.com/aaronmaxb>)