Suspicious Package at Bronx Court Forces Brief Shutdown of Sherman Ave.

Police shut down a block of Sherman Avenue while investigating a package that appeared to be a toolbox Aug. 20, 2012.

DNAinfo/Jeanmarie Evelly

THE BRONX — Police briefly shut down a street near the Bronx Criminal Court Monday while investigating a suspicious package report, officials said.

Emergency responders flooded Sherman Avenue between 161st and 162nd streets just after 8 a.m., in response to a tip about a package that looked like a tool box, the NYPD said.

The box, which sources said was found near the entrance to the judges' parking garage on Sherman Avenue, was later ruled harmless, officials said.

After the FDNY and the NYPD's Emergency Service Unit determined that the box did not pose a threat, authorities reopened the street about 9:30 a.m., an NYPD spokesman said.

Bronx Criminal Court, on East 161st Street, remained open during the investigation.