At about 9:05 hours this morning, SMPD officers were dispatched on a suspicious back pack that had been thrown on the sidewalk near the driveway of the US Post Office located at 1630 So. Delaware. A citizen observed a subject on a motorcycle throw the backpack near the main entrance driveway of the post office and leave the area. Officers immediately evacuated the post office and sealed off the driveway in the interest of safety. San Mateo County Bomb Squad responded quickly to the scene and used their robot to move the back pack across the street to an evacuated car wash located just North of the post office. Once the back pack was moved to one of the stalls at the car wash, it was examined, and determined not to be a threat. The operation took about one hour and both the post office and car wash are now open. The motorcyclist has not been located as of this writing and the investigation is continuing.
The San Mateo Police Department is looking for any information from the community that can assist us with this investigation. Anyone with information about this incident which involved a subject on a motorcycle depositing a backpack at the entrance of the main Post Office on Delaware Street in San Mateo at 9am on the morning of Tuesday, April 23 is urged to contact San Mateo Police at 650-522-7700.
MEDIA:
The above is all the information available at this time as the investigation is ongoing. Further information may be available as the investigation develops.
SAFETY TIPS:
If you notice something out of place that you can’t readily identify—a suspicious object, odor, spilled or leaking liquid or powder, etc.—it’s best to treat it as a hazardous substance until proven otherwise.
Call Public Safety (Police/Fire Departments) immediately via 911 or the emergency dispatch phone number programmed into your mobile phone. Describe the hazardous substance and its location.