SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, June 30, 2022 (Gephardt Daily) — Salt Lake City police got a few tips on the nature of a “suspicious device” handled by the bomb squad after being discovered on Wednesday.
The SLCPD sent out a news release with a photo of the device, which was widely and instantly identified on social media as a perfectly harmless auto part, a timing belt tensioner. A timing belt tensioner applies pressure to the timing belt, keeping it tight and running smoothly.
“Our Hazardous Devices Unit no longer needs assistance in identifying this object,” an SLCPD update says. “We appreciate all those who called in. There are no other updates.”
The initial news release says device was reported at about 9:49 a.m. Wednesday, and the SLCPD responded to the scene, an apartment at 999 S. Main St.
“Officers responded, secured the scene, and evacuated parts of the apartment complex, including the center courtyard,” the statement says. “The evacuations were done out of an abundance of caution.
“The on-scene incident commander requested the assistance of the SLCP’s Hazardous Devices Unit. The item was safely taken by the HDU team for further investigation.”
We at Gephardt Daily freely admit we didn’t recognize the auto part either. But we did enjoy some of the responses the story drew.
- “I can see the bomb squad vaporizing that car part in a pit in the west desert, and being really underwhelmed with the result,” one reader wrote.
- “How embarrassing,” another typed.
- “This device sure did cause a lot of ‘tension,'” another wrote, adding a laughing emoji.
- “Damn they sell these explosive devices on Amazon for $23.99 free shipping with Prime,” said another.
The general advice given by the SLCPD public relations department still stands, of course. If you see a suspicious device, do not touch it, and call 911.
