The New York Police Department is asking for help identifying a man who is wanted for questioning in regards to multiple rice cookers that were placed in Lower Manhattan early in the morning on Friday, August 16.
Two rice cookers were found inside the Fulton Street subway station, while another was located near a trash can in the Chelsea neighborhood. The rice cookers inside of the busy Fulton Street station led to an evacuation during rush hour and caused severe delays for commuters while also sparking some fear.
Police reportedly also saw the man on video removing the empty rice cookers from a shopping cart and placing them on the ground.
“He places the pressure cooker on the upper level and then on the lower level,” said senior NYPD official John Miller, via FOX 5. “Not a suspect but certainly someone we want to speak with. Because of the timing and the placement of the items, we’re carrying this right now as a hoax device. That’s the investigative category. But we need to identify him, talk with him. We need more information from him.
“It is possible that somebody put out a bunch of items in the trash today and this guy picked them up and discarded them. It is possible that this was an intentional act, and we have a couple of steps to go.”
The rice cookers inside of the station were left on the subway platform.
“The NYPD is looking to locate and identify this individual who’s wanted for questioning in regard to the suspicious items inside the Fulton Street subway station this morning in Lower Manhattan,” a tweet from New York City Police Department Chief Terence Monahan wrote on Twitter. “Contact @NYPDTips at #800577TIPS with info — alert a cop or call 911 if you see him.”
That is all the information that is available at this time. This article will be updated with new and relevant information should it become available at any time. If there is anything that we missed, please feel free to send an email to editor@teamcoed.com and we will respond as soon as possible.