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The DNAinfo archives brought to you by WNYC.
Read the press release here.

Man Who Threw Fake Bomb Into NYPD Van to Undergo Psych Exam

MANHATTAN CRIMINAL COURT — The suicidal man who threw a fake bomb into a police van in the middle of Times Square will undergo a psychiatric exam to determine whether he’s fit for trial, a judge said.

Hector Meneses, 52, was arraigned Wednesday through a live video feed from Bellevue Hospital’s forensic psychiatric ward, where he is currently a patient.

Dressed in hospital garb, Meneses appeared subdued as he sat next to his lawyer, speaking only to respond “yes,” in Spanish when Judge Kevin McGrath Jr. asked whether he had discussed the matter with his attorney and if he’d consented to appearing on the video feed.

Defense attorney Tara Collins requested the psychiatric evaluation, noting that she checked off boxes on the request form indicating her client had exhibited both “disruptive, confused or bizarre behavior,” and “threatening or violent behavior,” had been “uncooperative with defense counsel,” and “appear[ed] not to understand charges or court process.”

Meneses has been charged with one count of placing a false bomb or hazardous substance and two counts of falsely reporting an incident, the Manhattan District Attorney's office said. 

Prosecutors requested $150,000 cash bail for Meneses, but McGrath granted Collins’ request that her client remain at Bellevue pending the results of the exam.

Police took Meneses into custody following a six-hour standoff at Columbus Circle last Thursday.

Meneses drove his SUV to the location after tossing what appeared to be a bomb — but was actually a “hoax” device — into an NYPD van's front passenger seat while it was parked in Duffy Square.

During the standoff, he told police, “I have a bomb strapped to me and I want to die,” officials said.

After Meneses’ arrest, officers found items they believed he had hoped to turn into a “pressure cooker” bomb in his SUV, officials said.

NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton praised officers who drove the “bomb” away from Times Square before they knew it was fake at a press conference following the incident.