Two high-rise buildings, home to Nasdaq and publishing company Condé Nast, were partially evacuated, but occupants were allowed back in around 1 p.m.
Stephanie Gonzalez, who works in the glass-covered tower directly in front of where the van was parked, said announcements were made around 11 a.m. that people in the building should head to its west side, away from the vehicle. She left the building entirely.
“Post-9/11, you’re just not going to stick around to figure it out,’’ she said.
There were no corresponding terrorism threats involving the vehicle, said chief NYPD spokesman Paul J. Browne. No explosive devices were found in the van, and the area was reopened to traffic about two hours after patrol officers spotted the van.
But police take extra care around New Year’s Eve when the celebration draws hundreds of thousands of revelers from around the world to the heart of Times Square to see the ball drop at midnight. Squads routinely patrol for suspicious vehicles and do sweeps in garages before the event.
“Its presence in Times Square just before New Year’s Eve causes us concern, and that’s why we’re taking extra precautions,’’ Browne said.
Police said they will ban backpacks and set up barriers in Times Square on New Year’s Eve. It will deploy additional police, including plainclothes officers, there and throughout the city.
It also will search garages for bombs and set up detectors for radiation and biological agents.
Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said earlier this week that the Police Department had not made any changes to its security plan since the attempted bombing of an airliner in Detroit on Christmas Day.
Hours after yesterday’s scare, Mayor Michael Bloomberg stood outside the Nasdaq building, down the street from where the van had been parked, and declared the city safe for the New Year’s Eve festivities.
“Somebody thought it was suspicious. They called. We checked it out. It turned out not to be anything bad,’’ he said. “We take every threat or every potential threat seriously.’’
