'Hero' Cops Thought They Were Dead When a Man Allegedly Threw Fake Bomb in Their Police Van
Two New York City police officers are being hailed as heroes for their quick-thinking reaction Wednesday, when they sped away from a crowded Times Square carrying what they thought was a bomb that had been tossed into their van, police said.
Several hours and one suspect in custody later and, police tell PEOPLE, the truth is more clear:
Police allege that 52-year-old Hector Meneses threw a device appearing to be a bomb into a police van in Times Square about 11:30 p.m. local time Wednesday. The two officers in the van drove away from the crowd to minimize potential casualties from an explosion.
Later, at about 2:10 a.m., police spotted Meneses in his vehicle at Columbus Circle, about a mile north of Times Square. A standoff ensued between police and Meneses – during which he allegedly told police that he wanted to die and had a bomb strapped to his chest, according to NBC News – and he was taken into custody about six hours later.
The device that was tossed into the police van was later identified as an inert contraption with a "candle, cylindrical object, electrical component and a flashing LED wrapped in a white T-shirt," officials said, according to DNAinfo.
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BREAKING: Columbus Circle #ESU placed the man in SUV into custody without incident. Great job by all. No injuries. pic.twitter.com/IIltEZQVPg
â NYPD Special Ops (@NYPDSpecialops) July 21, 2016
Police used a robot to check Meneses's vehicle, which determined it was safe, reports The New York Times. The paper reports that police said the robot was used to break a window and use pepper spray on Meneses.
Meneses is at Roosevelt Hospital being evaluated, a New York City police spokeswoman tells PEOPLE. He was not armed at the time of his arrest, she says. No charges have been brought against him.
She says she does not have information about statements Meneses may have made to police at the scene or after his arrest.
No one was injured during the hours-long incident, she says.
'Hero' Officers Speak Out
Sgt. Hameed Armani and his partner, officer Peter Cybulski, said that as the mysterious device landed in their van Thursday night, they both knew immediately what to do.
"Cybulski goes, 'Boss this is a bomb.' The light went off, started clicking. I looked around, saw a lot of kids, a lot of young people, a lot of people I would say are out in Times Square," Armani, a 10-year veteran of the department and single dad to a 12-year-old daughter, said at a news conference Thursday.
He said there were 1,000 people that night in Times Square: "We both look at each other, I was like, 'We're gonna go, I'm not going to have anyone else go with us.' "
"[They are] heroes of the city for what they did last night," NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton said at Thursday's news conference. "They put their own lives totally at risk to save the lives of potentially hundreds of tourists and other New Yorkers."
Bratton also noted that Armani is a Muslim who immigrated from Afghanistan, according to NBC News.
The partners, who've worked together for three years, drove a block, with Armani behind the wheel. Cybulski, a three-year veteran, held the device in his hands.
"[While we were driving,] we both said our prayers," Armani said. "We thought, 'This is it, we're not going to make it, but I'm happy no on else is going to get hurt.'"
He said if he did it again, he'd do it exactly the same thing.
"No one got hurt, I was happy," he said. "It was a good day."
