JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A suspicious item found near two Jacksonville synagogues caused evacuations and shut down a major roadway for hours Saturday.
An off-duty officer found the suspicious item near Etz Chaim and the Jacksonville Jewish Center and called Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
North- and southbound lanes of San Jose Boulevard at Haley Road were shut down and businesses in the area were evacuated.
STORY: JSO: San Jose Boulevard open after suspicious item found not a safety concern
It happened as some Jewish families were walking to the synagogues, a Sabbath tradition on Saturdays.
“People were saying, 'Go back, go back. The road's closed off. There’s an unidentified object between the two synagogues,'” Caroline Lee said.
There are three Synagogues in the area around Haley Road/San Jose and two Jewish day schools @ActionNewsJax
— Ben Becker (@BenBeckerANjax) February 9, 2019
The Etz Chaim member said after the attack in Pittsburgh, she feared the worst.
“God forbid it was a bomb, you know? Are we being targeted as a Jewish community? Because it’s right between the two synagogues,” she said.
The synagogue had also received a threat in the form of a letter in December.
It’s a Jewish tradition to walk to the synagogue on Shabbat and now families are having to turn around and go home @ActionNewsJax https://t.co/WqMHvOBRv1
— Brittney Donovan (@brittneyANjax) February 9, 2019
Lee was among the families who stood on the sidewalk, waiting for information about what was happening and when they could join the other members at the synagogue.
JSO tells me an off duty officer saw a suspicious item in an area near several synagogues and called it in. Lieutenant tells me 2 synagogues and neighboring businesses were evacuated as bomb squad work to deem the item did not pose a threat @ActionNewsJax pic.twitter.com/7FzAMyE4Wp
— Brittney Donovan (@brittneyANjax) February 9, 2019
Two hours later, JSO’s bomb squad determined the item was not a safety concern.
“We are more than grateful,” Lee said. “A little inconvenient, you know, but the opposite, the alternative would be quite horrendous.”
I’m told the bomb squad is on site at Etz Chaim Synagogue as JSO investigates a suspicious package in the area. San Jose is blocked off from Oak Bluff to Crownpoint. @ActionNewsJax
— Ben Becker (@BenBeckerANjax) February 9, 2019
Action News Jax asked JSO what the item was that caused alarm, and a lieutenant described it as a “large object.”
The president of Etz Chaim said it was an abandoned safe.
Cox Media Group
