UNIDENTIFIED-BOX

Attn: Local editors

Unidentified box in university parking garage brings in the Secret Service

Length: 501 words

By Gloria Martinez
American University
WASHINGTON -- The Secret Service, Metropolitan Police Department and
university police were called to a Washington, D.C., university for an unidentified
package found in a parking garage.
In the parking garage of the School of International Service at American
University, an unidentified box was reported to police. With the recent bomb attacks in
Austin, Texas, the university decided to respond to the incident by calling in the Secret
Service to dispose of the package.
Although the box was found in the parking garage at the school, the building
remained open with several students and professors inside. The Kennedy Political
Union, an organization on campus, also had an event happening at the same time the
Secret Service came on the scene.
Lisa Torres, a student at American, said she was not aware anything was
happening until one of her friends texted her around 9:30 p.m.
“I’m just a little anxious to know what’s happening… right now,” said Torres.
“There’s Secret Service and police but there’s nothing happening in the actual building
itself. So, I’m not sure if this is a situation to be worried about or if it’s completely
nothing.”
When students tried to ask university police officers about the situation, police
told students to “wait for the area to clear.” No further details were mentioned on their
behalf.
The parking garage was closed off to students and staff at around 9 p.m., but the
first emergency alert wasn’t sent out until 9:40 p.m. and didn’t contain information about
the box. The first emergency alert message to mention the package didn’t go out until
10:20 p.m.
Danielle Montecalvo, a student who was studying in the building when the first
alert went out, said she wasn’t worried about the situation.
“The school usually handles everything,” said Montecalvo. “I feel like if there was
an actual concern out of the school’s hands, we would have been told to leave the
building or something. But everything feels tame here, so I’m feeling okay.”
At 10:50 p.m., police began to tape off the east side of campus. Both Nebraska
Avenue Northwest and New Mexico Avenue Northwest were closed off. Metropolitan
Police arrived on the scene during this time.
At 11:10 p.m. a final alert went out confirming the package was not dangerous
and that things would be returning to normal.
When asked for a comment, several American police officers declined and
referred all questions to their public relations team. The public relations team was not
available for comment Wednesday morning because the school was closed because of
snow.
All emergency tape was taken down following the alert, but students were still
unsure as to why it took university police so long to empty the school.
“I don’t understand why they couldn’t just tell us something was happening,” said
Shawn Bush, a resident assistant at American University. “They’ve got all those people
like sitting ducks in SIS. They’ve got all these people on East Campus. They could give
us a warning instead of letting people panic for two hours.”

SOURCING INFORMATION

Lisa Torres, student at American University; in-person interview, March 20, 9:30 p.m.-
9:40 p.m.; 907-617-2396, lt7782a@student.american.edu

Danielle Montecalvo, student at American University; in-person interview, March 20,

9:25 p.m.-9:30 p.m.; 585-750-0336, dm9152a@student.american.edu

Hilton Shawn Bush, student and resident assistant at American University; in-person
interview, March 20, 11:30-11:40 p.m.; 860-849-6215, hb9999a@student.american.edu
University police at American University closed off parts of the school after a suspicious
box was reported in the parking garage of a campus building.
(Photo by Gloria Martinez)