The device, which sources told CNN appeared to be a rice cooker, was found near a garbage can in the the vicinity of West 16th Street and 7th Avenue, shortly after police said two other suspicious items found at a downtown subway station were not explosive.
The first two items, found at the Fulton Street subway complex, were rice cookers, according to two law enforcement sources. They did not appear to be modified in any way, one of the sources said. Authorities are looking into whether the items were left behind.
Both rice cookers were completely empty, the other source said.
One package was found at Fulton and William streets, and the other was found on the nearby subway platform that serves the 2 and 3 trains, another law enforcement official said.
Subway trains are bypassing the area for now.
A New York Police Department emergency services unit also responded around 7:15 a.m. ET to the scene, the official said. Three New York Fire Department units were sent to the Fulton Street subway complex, as well, a department spokesperson said.
