Drivers and pedestrians were kept away from part of downtown New Haven during rush hour on Tuesday evening after a federal marshal reported an unattended backpack.
The bomb squad determined that the backpack contained only a book and some school papers, but officers stopped vehicle and pedestrian traffic for a few blocks around the scene until it was determined that the backpack posed no threat.
The backpack was spotted at a bus stop was on Church Street between First Start Bank and City Hall at 5:39 p.m.
Police responded to a second call for a suspicious package at College and Chapel streets, but that was a false alarm.
