The bag turned out to contain audio equipment, police said
DEAL -- An abandoned duffel bag picked up by a motorist raised alarm on a street in Deal on Wednesday afternoon but it turned out to contain audio equipment, police said.
The area of Norwood and Lehman avenues was closed to traffic for three hours while members of the New Jersey State Police Bomb Squad and several bomb detection dogs from the Monmouth County Sheriff's Office investigated the large bag, said Deal police Sgt. Brian Egan.
Egan said a motorist found the black duffel bag on the road at Brighton and Norwood avenues at 1:35 p.m. and put it in the back of his small white four-door sedan. After the motorist drove off, he thought he smelled an odor and called police, Egan said.
Besides members of the bomb squad and the sheriff's canines, responding to the scene were emergency personnel from the Deal Fire Department and the Deal First Aid Squad, Egan said.
All religious and educational buildings in the area were checked as a precaution and cleared, he said.
Authorities determined the bag contained audio equipment, he said.
Police officers referred to the driver as a good Samaritan but authorities also reminded the public to stay away from suspicious packages and instead alert police immediately.
The road was reopened around 4:20 p.m., Egan said.
MaryAnn Spoto may be reached at mspoto@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @MaryAnnSpoto. Find NJ.com on Facebook.