POLICE BEAT

1. RKA bomb scare

David A. Stein Riverdale/Kingsbridge Academy, MS/HS 141 was evacuated at around 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday morning due to a bomb scare. 

The evacuation was triggered after someone snapped a photo of a brown paper bag with the word “bomb” written on it sitting in a stairwell. The photo was posted and circulated on Facebook, students said.

Police responded and the offending bag was found and determined to be “totally empty,” according to officials from the NYPD Bomb Squad. 

Students were allowed back into the building by 11:25, but a reporter for The Press noted that small groups of juniors and seniors were leaving the premises, saying they didn’t believe the scare was fake.

Afterwards, Principal Lori O’Mara e-mailed a statement to parents.

“After a thorough investigation of the building the police determined there was no threat and the students and staff re-entered after about forty minutes.  Please be assured that everyone is safe back in the building and that we expect the rest of the day to carry on in a normal fashion. All students will receive lunch as normal,” Ms. O’Mara wrote.

2. Robbing duo charged

Two brothers were arrested for dual robberies that took place within 90 minutes of each other and just seven blocks apart in Kingsbridge and Marble Hill on Dec. 16.

In the first incident, an 18-year-old woman told police she was robbed at around midnight on Dec. 16, near the northwest corner of Terrace View Avenue and West 228th Street.

The victim had just gotten off a bus at West 228th Street and West Kingsbridge Road when a man approached and said, “Do you have the time?” 

She said the man then commented, “This is a dangerous area” and walked with her towards Terrace View Avenue. He then placed a kitchen knife against her back and took her cell phone from her hand, according to police.

The suspect fled toward Broadway and the victim called 9-1-1. Police said the suspected robber, a 17 year old, was arrested after the victim identified him from a photo array.