Park Avenue reopen after suspicious package scare

Park Avenue is back open Tuesday night after a suspicious flower-patterned suitcase abandoned in front of St. Margaret Mary Catholic Church shut down a two-block radius on its north end for more than an hour.

Lt. Tom Pearson with the Winter Park Police Department said a call came in at 3:59 p.m. from a witness reporting that a man placed the suitcase in front of the church and walked away. The bomb squad was called to examine its contents, finding nothing suspicious, rendering the report a false alarm.

Pearson said the department was able to locate the owner of the suitcase in the surrounding area, who identified its contents as non-threatening. When the Avenue reopened by 5:30 p.m., its contents strewn on the sidewalk revealed nothing but clothing, pill bottles and medical equipment.

“Our story has a happy ending, fortunately,” Pearson said.

The owner of the suitcase had no comment and was free to collect his belongings with no further penalty.