Package prompts partial evacuation at Trump Tower

NEW YORK — A suspicious package that turned out to be a bag of children’s toys prompted an evacuation of at least the atrium of Trump Tower on Tuesday afternoon, police said.

The “all clear” was given by the NYPD after the bag of toys left unattended in the lobby led to police officers being called to the Fifth Avenue high rise around 4:30 p.m. to investigate.

The NYPD declared the area clear and safe at about 5 p.m. and tower residents, employees and the public were permitted back inside. The package was found near the Niketown entrance inside Trump Tower.

Incoming White House press secretary Sean Spicer tweeted, “Back to work here at Trump Tower after a false alarm. Thanks NYPD.”

Police were running bags through X-ray scanners as they have since Donald Trump’s election and uniformed police officers and firefighters were stationed in the lobby as usual.

Under an agreement with the city, Trump Tower’s lobby is accessible to the public from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., The Washington Post reported. That has turned the presidential transition process into something of a spectacle, as tourists routinely come by. New York City officials have complained about the massive amount of resources being consumed by security.

President-elect Trump is not in New York. He spent Christmas at Mar-a-Lago in Florida.