The travel plaza where the incident took place is near the end of Interstate 295 and the New Jersey Turnpike, not far from the Delaware Memorial Bridge.
CARNEYS POINT TWP. -- Evacuations and road shutdowns caused after two ammunition containers were found at a travel plaza were the result of a misunderstanding, police say.
It turns out the containers were a gift to a gas attendant and there was nothing sinister about them being placed near the gas pumps.
The Carneys Point Police Department has concluded its probe of the incident which took place late on the night of Aug. 20 at the Flying J on Route 140.
Police say that the containers -- one about four feet tall with the words "Projectile" printed on the side and the other about a foot tall with the words "Ammunition" printed on it -- were dropped off at the gas pumps between 10:15 and 10:30 p.m.
The unidentified man who had taken them out of his Delaware-registered pickup truck and placed them near the pumps then left the scene.
Ammunition containers cause scare at travel plaza
Police said during their initial investigation they were told the pickup driver told the gas attendant he had no use for them anymore.
According to Detective Sgt. Dale VanNamee, a motorist who saw the containers called police, not knowing that they had been actually been given to a gas attendant as a gift.
The containers turned out to be empty, VanNamee said.
The concerned motorist's call to police resulted in Carneys Point officers, fire and rescue crews and the New Jersey State Police Bomb Squad being dispatched to the travel plaza.
The travel plaza store and restaurant were evacuated and gas and diesel pumps shut down. Area roadways were also shut down as the containers were examined by the bomb squad.
Police, fire and rescue crews were on the scene about three hours before the all-clear was sounded.
The travel plaza where the incident took place is near the end of Interstate 295 and the New Jersey Turnpike, not far from the Delaware Memorial Bridge.
No charges will be filed in the incident, VanNamee said.
Police confiscated the empty ammunition containers.
Bill Gallo Jr. may be reached at bgallo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow Bill Gallo Jr. on Twitter @bgallojr. Find NJ.com on Facebook.