Mysterious Bag Causes Scare at Strip Mall

Crowds are common at Bagel Master, but on Monday it was patrolmen and not patrons who were all over the place.

Nassau Police shut down Cold Spring Road near Berry Hill Road at around 10 a.m. after someone spotted a suspicious package in the complex that includes Bagel Master, Ace Florist and Angel Tips Nail Salon. At the scene they focused on a black carryon-type bag that someone left on top of a pay phone.

According to an employee at Angel Tips, a group of three women walking a dog spotted the bag, and one of them contacted authorities.

Police cleared people from the area as they investigated, and much of the traffic was diverted onto East Street. An officer with the Nassau Police said it turned out to be a bag of clothes and officers reopened the street at about 1 p.m.

Vadim Nayman, whose father is the landlord for the complex, went back through security camera footage. He showed police that earlier a man stopped at the pay phone, made a call that lasted several minutes and then apparently forgot his bag.

"It was nothing that turned into a pretty big deal," Nayman said, later adding,"But the police have to follow protocol."