The Port Authority bus terminal was shut down after reports of a “suspicious package.” New York Police closed off 8th Avenue between 41st and 42nd Street, evacuating everyone and preventing people from coming in.
The closure comes on one of the busiest travel days of the year, as millions of Americans head to visit their families for the Thanksgiving holiday.
A bomb squad conducted a sweep of the area and did not find any explosives, local media reported. The terminal and the surrounding streets reopened around 7:15 p.m. local time.
New Jersey Transit rail has announced it would honor all NJ Transit bus tickets and passes out of New York City, due to the Port Authority shutdown.
Eyewitnesses at the scene said the police were shooing people away from the building, and that helicopters could be heard overhead.