RESOLVING THE LEDGER
This is one outlet's own report from The Independent — the article as it was filed. Other outlets are covering the same event; open the full story to compare every source side by side.
See the full story · 4 sourcesThe suspicious package scare prompted police officers, firefighters and bomb squad technicians to flood the area
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That one probably wasn’t in the training manual.
First responders in Washington, D.C., got an unusual surprise on Wednesday when a suspicious package outside an area fire station turned out to be a sex toy.
The device was reported to officials around 7 a.m., after a bystander saw someone leave it in the trash near the Tenleytown fire station.
The individual with the object allegedly approached a member of the firehouse, then left the device, which could be seen with exposed wires, behind.
The encounter triggered a large emergency response, which shut down Wisconsin Avenue NW from 40th Street to Warren Street for nearly two hours.
The Washington Metropolitan Police Department’s bomb squad and K-9 unit cleared the item, which was first thought to be a thermos.
Police later described the object as an "electronic sex portable pump device.”
News photos showed a technician carrying a blue and black cylindrical object about the size of a large water bottle.
The Independent has contacted the police department for comment.
The area has been cleared and reopened to traffic.
Though today’s firehouse incident was a false alarm, the threats in the nation’s capital are very real.
Secret Service Director Sean Curran recently warned that threat levels facing the agency are “ off the charts ” in the current political climate.
Secret Service Director Sean Curran has revealed that the current threat level his agency faces is “off the charts,” blaming a political climate more volatile than anything he said he has seen over his 24-year career.
Around 10,000 threats have been made against government officials and Supreme Court justices so far in 2026, a 40 percent increase on the same period in 2025, he said last month.
Last November, a bomb threat temporarily halted flights at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Virginia.
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