An unattended backpack caused a scare and a partial evacuation at the Westchester County Courthouse Tuesday.
The suspicious bag was reported before noon near an elevator on the ninth floor. A team of heavily equipped bomb technicians from the county police department's Special Operations Division responded to the call.
The responders evacuated dozens of people as a precaution and cordoned off the ninth floor before they determined that the bag was empty.
Many of the people entering and exiting the building said they were unaware about the drama that had unfolded.
Investigators will review surveillance video to determine who left the backpack, but for now they believe it could have been left by mistake.