Bomb squad gives all clear after Queens mall evacuation Monday morning

A 'hoax device' was found inside a vehicle near the shopping center

NYPD vehicle in Manhattan New York

(Sergi Reboredo/VW PICS/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

By Sophie Mann

Updated: January 4, 2021 - 2:51pm

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Please avoid the area of Queens Place Mall due to a suspicious package. Expect delays if traveling in the surrounding area. Update to follow. pic.twitter.com/Os8X62Q6s8— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) January 4, 2021

New York City law enforcement investigators have given the all clear following reports Monday morning of a Tesla containing propane tanks near a Queens shopping center that caused an evacuation of the area.

Law enforcement officers in New York ordered the evacuation of the Queens Place Mall after authorities received a call about the suspicious vehicle at the opening of business on Monday.

Please avoid the area of Queens Place Mall due to a suspicious package. Expect delays if traveling in the surrounding area. Update to follow. pic.twitter.com/Os8X62Q6s8— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) January 4, 2021

There was, for a time, a significant presence of emergency personnel and vehicles surrounding the 56th Avenue shopping center, before investigators gave the all clear late Monday morning.

The suspicious package, located inside a black Tesla with stolen Nevada license plates, was deemed a "hoax device" by the NYPD. Authorities continue to search for the driver.