The sheriff’s bomb squad closed down Monterey Road for a few
hours Saturday afternoon and blocked a train from proceeding after
someone called in a suspicious package on a railroad track running
through San Martin, according to the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s
Department.
The sheriff’s bomb squad closed down Monterey Road for a few hours Saturday afternoon and blocked a train from proceeding after someone called in a suspicious package on a railroad track running through San Martin, according to the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Department.
The two-foot by four-foot box contained motor oil, a tarp and some water, but the sheriff’s department decided not to take any chances after receiving a 9 a.m. call from a passing motorist who noticed the package sitting on the railroad track near Monterey Road and Masten Avenue across from the San Martin Golf Range.
“We didn’t know what we had and we needed to make sure nobody got hurt,” Lt. Dalia Rodriguez said.
Sheriff’s deputies and California Highway Patrol officers closed down a 1.5 mile section of Monterey Road between Highland to Masten avenues until about 3 p.m. as two members of the sheriff’s bomb squad used an all-terrain robot to inspect the package on the rocky tracks. Authorities do not know how the package ended up on the tracks and are still investigating, but Rodriguez said nearby construction sites might imply that workers could have left the package there by accident.
Police forced Union Pacific to halt one train during the inspection, Rodriguez said. Company spokesperson Tom Lange did not immediately return messages Monday afternoon.
