New York City police reopen Times Square after brief investigation

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NEW YORK (Reuters) -New York City police reopened Times Square in Midtown Manhattan to vehicles and pedestrians on Monday after a brief closure that followed a call about a suspicious device at West 43rd Street and Seventh Avenue, according to a department spokesperson.

For about an hour and a half on Monday morning, the normally bustling, two-block section of Seventh Avenue between 42nd and 44th streets was virtually empty and closed to traffic. Cars and trucks crawled along the surrounding streets.

Clusters of police stood on each corner preventing pedestrians from entering Times Square, and a large police truck blocked the avenue as the police department investigated.

Around noon, police allowed vehicles and pedestrians to re-enter the area.

Times Square, the home of New York’s Broadway theater district and site of a massive street party every New Year’s Eve, is usually bustling with tourists and office workers, especially during the summer.

The street closures brought an uneasy calm to the area, reminiscent of the early days of the 2020 pandemic, when New York City largely shut down.

Throughout the closure, underground train service continued at Times Square, one of the New York City subway’s main hubs, though one part of the station was cordoned off.

(Reporting by Maria Tsvetkova, Ryan P. Jones, Katharine Jackson, Brendan McDermid, and Edward J. Tobin; Editing by Frank McGurty, Rod Nickel)