Automobile Magazine: The story behind the bomb scare package that prompted Ann Arbor street closures

By Jen Eyer State Community Engagement Director

Posted on Sat, May 14, 2011 : 11:59 a.m.

The folks at Automobile Magazine had a birds-eye view of the bomb scare in downtown Ann Arbor on Friday afternoon.

As it turns out, they also had the inside scoop on the "suspicious package" that prompted police to close streets near the federal building on East Liberty at South Fourth Avenue. The package was spotted, coincidentally, shortly after a man phoned in a bomb threat to the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority, causing police to take extra precautions.

In a blog post, Evan McCausland says the company received the package containing promotional materials for the new movie "Thor" earlier this week from Acura's ad agency. It included "a large black box billed as an agent test kit for ... the government agency charged with investigating Thor’s arrival on earth."

McCausland wrote: "We found the execution odd, what with the fake toggle switches, vial of blue fluid, and one test that referenced detonation, but chuckled, and sent it into our recycle bin. It, along with other recyclables, were collected and placed at the corner of Fourth and William, where they sat for two days before our collection company picked them up.

We’d forgotten about the box until this afternoon, when we noticed growing commotion from down below."

Read the full article: Press Kit or Explosive Device? Acura Promo Shakes Up Ann Arbor